Homogeneous catalysis Homogeneous catalysis In chemistry, homogeneous catalysis is catalysis in a solution by a soluble catalyst. Homogeneous catalysis refers to catalytic reactions where the catalyst is in the same phase as the reactants. Homogeneous catalysis applies to reactions in the gas phase and even in solids. Heterogeneous catalysis is the alternative to homogeneous catalysis, where the catalysis occurs at the interface of two phases, typically gas-solid. The term is used almost exclusively to describe solutions and often implies catalysis by organometallic compounds. The area is one of intense research and many practical applications, e.g., the production of acetic acid. Enzymes are
Racemic mixture Racemic mixture In chemistry, a racemic mixture, or racemate (), is one that has equal amounts of left- and right-handed enantiomers of a chiral molecule. The first known racemic mixture was racemic acid, which Louis Pasteur found to be a mixture of the two enantiomeric isomers of tartaric acid. A sample with only a single enantiomer is an "enantiomerically pure", "enantiopure" or "homochiral" compound. From racemic acid found in grapes; from Latin "racemus", meaning a bunch of grapes. A racemic mixture is denoted by the prefix (±)- or dl- (for sugars the prefix - may be used), indicating an equal