What are the characteristics of a catalyst?

Notable characteristics of catalyst: 

• A catalyst does not initiate a chemical reaction. It makes reaction processes easier and more efficient, which increases the reaction rate. 
• The catalyst itself is not consumed in the process. Its mass and chemical composition remain unaltered through the reaction. 
• It can regenerate after facilitating the production of the final product of the reaction. 
• A catalyst may be in the same or different phase as that of the reactants. 
• It has high specificity and can selectively choose the most efficient way for a reaction to proceed. 
• Because a catalyst remains unaltered and can regenerate at the end of the reaction, it is needed in very small quantities to catalyze a reaction.  
• A catalyst attains peak effectiveness at its optimum temperature, slowing down with an increase or decrease in temperature away from its optimum. 
• pH of a solution affects the catalyst’s performance, with peak efficiency pH ranges between 5 and 7.