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Catalysts and activation energy: how they work

The rate and extent of chemical change • Rate of reaction

Key concepts

What you'll likely be quizzed about

  • A catalyst is a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without undergoing permanent change.
  • It participates in intermediate steps but regenerates by the end of the process.
  • A catalyst does not appear in the overall chemical equation for the reaction.
  • A catalyst changes the mechanism of the reaction without affecting the chemical equilibrium position for reversible reactions.
  • While it affects how quickly equilibrium is reached, the equilibrium concentrations remain unchanged.

Flashcards

Test your knowledge with interactive flashcards

Identification of a catalyst from reaction rate

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A substance that consistently increases the reaction rate while remaining unchanged indicates a catalyst's role.

Key notes

Important points to keep in mind

Catalysts increase rate without being consumed and do not appear in overall equations.

Lower activation energy yields a faster reaction rate.

Energy profile diagrams show a lower peak for catalyzed pathways compared to uncatalyzed ones.

Catalysts speed up both forward and reverse reactions without changing the equilibrium position.

Heterogeneous catalysts work on surfaces; homogeneous catalysts form temporary intermediates in the same phase.

Identification relies on observing increased rate and the catalyst remaining unchanged.

Catalysts do not alter overall enthalpy change (ΔH) of the reaction.

Industrial catalysts reduce energy costs and enable milder conditions.

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