Question

List any three characteristics of catalysts.

Hint:

A small amount of catalyst is often sufficient to catalyze a large amount of reactants. For example, in the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide, a tiny speck of colloidal platinum can trigger a massive reaction!

Answer 1

Concept: A catalyst is a substance that can alter the rate of a chemical reaction without itself undergoing any permanent chemical change. Its primary role is to provide an alternative reaction pathway with a lower activation energy.
Core Characteristics. Here are three fundamental characteristics of a catalyst: • Chemical Composition remains Unchanged: Although a catalyst may undergo physical changes (like change in particle size), its mass and chemical composition remain exactly the same at the end of the reaction as they were at the beginning. • Lowering Activation Energy: A catalyst speeds up a reaction by providing an alternative mechanism that has a lower activation energy (Eₐ). This allows a larger fraction of reactant molecules to have enough energy to cross the energy barrier. • No Effect on Equilibrium: In reversible reactions, a catalyst increases the rate of both the forward and backward reactions to the same extent. Consequently, it helps the system reach equilibrium faster, but it does not change the position of equilibrium or the equilibrium constant (Kₑq).