Catalysts

Question 1

What is a catalyst?

Answer 1

A substance which increases the rate of reaction without being chemically changed or used up in the reaction.

Question 2

What impact does a catalyst have on the products of a reaction?

Answer 2

None

Question 3

How do catalysts work?

Answer 3

1) They decrease the activation energy needed for a reaction to take place.
2) They do this by offering an alternative reaction pathway that has a lower activation energy.
3) As a result, more particles have at least the minimum amount of energy needed for the reaction to occur when particles collide.