[briteyellowness]

mkay so a catalyst increases the rate of reaction by lowering the activation energy.
can i think in a way that "lowering activation energy" is a big group and there are many subgroups to it.
like one way to lower it would be to form a stable intermediate.
another way to lower it is to stabilize the transition state.
and whatnot?

[sdekivit]

there are 3 principles for the way of katalysis of enzymes:

1: the enzymes binds its substrate in the right orientation to encourage a reaction.

2 the binding of the substrate rearrenges the electronpossesion of the substrate, creating partial negative an positive charges that favor reactions

3: it strains the molecule forcing it to a transition state to favour a reaction.

[briteyellowness]

so a catalyst can't work by forming an intermediate?

[sdekivit]

so a catalyst can't work by forming an intermediate?

depends on what you mean with an intermediate.

[jdurg]

A catalyst can form as many intermediates it wants, as long as at the end of the reaction the catalyst reforms itself again.