Third wheel Memes

The eternal tragedy of being a catalyst - you help others hook up but never get to join the fun. Our blue-shirted friend here is the perfect chemical wingman, speeding up reactions between reactants while remaining forever unchanged and uninvolved. He brings reactants together, watches them form a beautiful product (literally a wedding in this case), and then stares wistfully out the window contemplating his lonely catalytic existence. Chemistry's ultimate third wheel doesn't even get consumed in the process - just recycled for the next reaction. No wonder he looks depressed in that final panel. Catalytic converters have more exciting lives.

The ultimate chemical third wheel! This meme brilliantly captures the catalyst's existence in chemical reactions - always essential but never consumed. The top panels show reactants getting distracted by each other while the catalyst tries to help. Then comes the middle panels where reactants are getting cozy while the catalyst facilitates their interaction. Finally, the bottom panels reveal the heartbreaking truth: reactants form a beautiful product and celebrate their union, while the catalyst stands alone, unchanged, staring wistfully out a window. The catalyst did all the work lowering that activation energy barrier only to watch the reactants transform without it. Chemistry's unsung hero - bringing molecules together since forever, never getting credit on the final product label.