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Chapter 14: Problem 49

How does a catalyst increase the rate of a reaction?

Short Answer

Expert verified
A catalyst increases the rate of a reaction by reducing the activation energy required for the reaction to proceed, providing an alternative pathway. This means more molecules have the necessary energy to react, hence the reaction happens faster.

Step by step solution

01

Define Catalyst

A catalyst is a substance that can significantly change the rate (speed up or slow down) of a chemical reaction without being consumed or changed itself. It is important in numerous chemical processes.
02

Understand the Action of a Catalyst

A catalyst functions by providing an alternative reaction pathway with a lower activation energy compared to the non-catalyzed reaction. The activation energy is the minimum energy required for a chemical reaction to process. It achieves this by forming transient, intermediate compounds with the reactants, effectively 'holding' them in a particular orientation that encourages the desired interaction.
03

Describe how this Increases the Reaction Rate

Because the catalyst provides an alternative pathway with a lower activation energy, more molecules have the necessary energy to engage in the reaction. Consequently, the reaction happens faster, which means the rate of the reaction increases.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Consider the reaction $$ X+Y \longrightarrow Z $$ These data are obtained at \(360 \mathrm{~K}\): $$ \begin{aligned} &\text { Initial Rate of }\\\ &\begin{array}{ccc} \text { Disappearance of } \mathrm{X}(\mathrm{M} / \mathrm{s}) & {[\mathrm{X}]} & {[\mathrm{Y}]} \\ \hline 0.147 & 0.10 & 0.50 \\ 0.127 & 0.20 & 0.30 \\ 4.064 & 0.40 & 0.60 \\ 1.016 & 0.20 & 0.60 \\ 0.508 & 0.40 & 0.30 \end{array} \end{aligned} $$ (a) Determine the order of the reaction. (b) Determine the initial rate of disappearance of \(X\) when the concentration of \(\mathrm{X}\) is \(0.30 \mathrm{M}\) and that of \(\mathrm{Y}\) is \(0.40 \mathrm{M}\)

Consider the zero-order reaction \(\mathrm{A} \longrightarrow\) product. (a) Write the rate law for the reaction. (b) What are the units for the rate constant? (c) Plot the rate of the reaction versus [A].

Most reactions, including enzyme-catalyzed reactions, proceed faster at higher temperatures. However, for a given enzyme, the rate drops off abruptly at a certain temperature. Account for this behavior.

Define activation energy. What role does activation energy play in chemical kinetics?

What is meant by the order of a reaction?
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