inhibitor

In chemistry, catalysis is the process of increasing the rate of a chemical reaction by adding a substance known as a catalyst. Catalysts are not consumed in the reaction and work by lowering the activation energy, the minimum energy needed for a reaction to occur. This phenomenon is crucial for many industrial processes and is fundamental to biological processes through enzymes.

Conversely, inhibition is when a compound, an inhibitor, decreases the rate of a chemical reaction. This can happen by interfering with the catalyst or by directly affecting the reactants. Inhibitors can be similar in structure to substrates, competing for the enzyme's active site, or they can alter the enzyme's shape, preventing it from functioning correctly.12