In achieving many of these goals, catalysts help the synthetic
chemist in a big way. Catalysts could be simple or complex,
synthetic or natural chemicals, which are capable of making an
otherwise impracticable reaction to occur under the mildest
possible conditions. An important family of catalysts that has
received considerable attention of the synthetic chemist in
recent times is derived from the soil, the most noteworthy ones
being clays and zeolites.