In catalysis, unreacted reagents are crucial to consider for several reasons: 1. Efficiency: Unreacted reagents indicate that the reaction did not reach completion, which can lead to lower yields. 2. Cost: The presence of unreacted reagents can increase the overall cost of the process as additional steps may be required to remove or recycle them. 3. Purity: Unreacted reagents can contaminate the final product, necessitating further purification steps, which can be both time-consuming and expensive.