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Chapter 14: Problem 61

What are the similarities and differences between the catalytic activity of platinum metal and of an enzyme?

Short Answer

Expert verified
Both platinum metal and enzymes are catalysts and increase the rate of a reaction by lowering the activation energy. The differences lie in that platinum is a metal catalyst that works on a wide range of reactions and is not affected by temperature or pH, while enzymes as biological catalysts have a specific active site for specific substrates and are sensitive to changes in temperature and pH.

Step by step solution

01

Understand Platinum Metal as a Catalyst

Platinum metal is a type of chemical catalyst. A catalyst is a substance that enhances a chemical reaction by lowering the activation energy. Platinum, in particular, is known for its high efficiency at catalyzing certain chemical reactions, especially those involving hydrogen and oxygen (for instance, in fuel cells).
02

Understand Enzymes as Catalysts

Enzymes are biological catalysts made up of proteins that speed up chemical reactions in living organisms. They accomplish this by providing an alternative reaction pathway with a lower activation energy. each enzyme is specific to its substrate due to its unique active site, where the reaction occurs.
03

Identify Similarities

Both platinum and enzymes increase the rate of reactions by lowering the activation energy. Moreover, both are not consumed in the reaction, which allows them to continually catalyze reactions.
04

Identify Differences

Platinum is a metal and can work on many different reactions. It doesn’t have a particular shape or active site that binds specific types of molecules like enzymes do. On the other hand, enzymes, as biological molecules, have unique shapes and active sites that bind specifically with substrates. Enzymes are affected by temperature and pH, while platinum is not. Lastly, platinum can catalyze a broader scope of reactions than a specific enzyme.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Certain gas-phase reactions on a heterogeneous catalyst are first order at low gas pressures and zero order at high pressures. Can you suggest a reason for this?

For the disproportionation of \(p\)-toluenesulfinic acid, $$3 \mathrm{ArSO}_{2} \mathrm{H} \longrightarrow \mathrm{ArSO}_{2} \mathrm{SAr}+\mathrm{ArSO}_{3} \mathrm{H}+\mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{O}$$ (where \(\mathrm{Ar}=p-\mathrm{CH}_{3} \mathrm{C}_{6} \mathrm{H}_{4}-\) ), the following data were obtained: \(t=0 \min ,[\mathrm{ArSO}_{2} \mathrm{H}]=0.100 \mathrm{M} ; 15 \mathrm{min}, 0.0863 \mathrm{M} ; 30 \mathrm{min}, 0.0752 \mathrm{M} ; 45 \mathrm{min}, 0.0640 \mathrm{M} ; 60 \mathrm{min}, 0.0568 \mathrm{M} ; 120 \mathrm{min}, 0.0387 \mathrm{M} ; 180 \mathrm{min}, 0.0297 \mathrm{M}; 300 \mathrm{min}, 0.0196 \mathrm{M}.\) (a) Show that this reaction is second order. (b) What is the value of the rate constant, \(k ?\) (c) At what time would \(\left[\mathrm{ArSO}_{2} \mathrm{H}\right]=0.0500 \mathrm{M} ?\) (d) At what time would \(\left(\mathrm{ArSO}_{2} \mathrm{H}\right)=0.0250 \mathrm{M} ?\) (e) At what time would \(\left[\mathrm{ArSO}_{2} \mathrm{H}\right]=0.0350 \mathrm{M} ?\)

The initial rate of the reaction \(A+B \longrightarrow C+D\) is determined for different initial conditions, with the results listed in the table. (a) What is the order of reaction with respect to A and to B? (b) What is the overall reaction order? (c) What is the value of the rate constant, \(k ?\) $$\begin{array}{llll} \hline \text { Expt } & \text { [A], M } & \text { [B], M } & \text { Initial Rate, M s }^{-1} \\ \hline 1 & 0.185 & 0.133 & 3.35 \times 10^{-4} \\ 2 & 0.185 & 0.266 & 1.35 \times 10^{-3} \\ 3 & 0.370 & 0.133 & 6.75 \times 10^{-4} \\ 4 & 0.370 & 0.266 & 2.70 \times 10^{-3} \\ \hline \end{array}$$

If the plot of the reactant concentration versus time is linear, then the order of the reaction is (a) zero order; (b) first order; (c) second order; (d) third order.

Explain why (a) A reaction rate cannot be calculated from the collision frequency alone. (b) The rate of a chemical reaction may increase dramatically with temperature, whereas the collision frequency increases much more slowly. (c) The addition of a catalyst to a reaction mixture can have such a pronounced effect on the rate of a reaction, even if the temperature is held constant.
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