Impact on Materials and Biology In industry, great effort is applied toward carrying out reactions rapidly and keep-ing them from reaching equilibrium, to maximize the yield of product. Much the same process goes on in the human body, as our cells work to keep us alive. 11.12 Catalysts and Haber’s Achievement A catalyst is a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without being consumed itself. We shall see a lot more of catalysts later, when we consider reaction rates in Chapter 15. However, it is important to be aware at this stage that a catalyst has no effect on the equilibrium composition of a reaction mixture. A catalyst can speed up the rate at which a reaction reaches equilibrium, but it does not affect the composition at equilibrium. It acts by providing a faster route to the same destination.