What is a catalyst?

Something that lowers the energy barrier required for a reaction to occur. Catalysts can help bring molecules together, assist with breaking and forming of bonds, and excite molecules to higher energy states. Catalysts are regenerated during the reaction and are used again to assist the next reaction cycle. Catalysts can be molecules, materials, or biological structures such as enzymes, and are important across many areas of chemistry, including organic chemistry, biochemistry, physical chemistry, and materials chemistry.  

What is this website?

Similar to a catalyst, this website is designed to help decrease barriers to success and belonging in college level chemistry courses. It gathers resources regarding tips and tricks--like how to approach studying for different chemistry courses, what to do if you need help in a course, how to email a professor, and how to find belonging in the chemistry community--so that they are easily accessible for everyone, even those who don't know that they should be looking for this information. Advice from students who started in chemistry with different previous experiences and backgrounds is recorded here for those who might be helped by it.

This website was created at the University of Virginia (UVA), so some information will reference programs and resources specific to UVA. However, the goal is to create a website that is broadly useful to students across different types of colleges and universities.