Catalysts Flashcards

All 4 cards in this deck

What is a catalyst?

A substance that speeds up the rate of a reaction without altering the products, and is itself unchanged chemically and in mass at the end.

True or false? A catalyst is used up during a reaction, so less of it is present at the end.

False. A catalyst is chemically unchanged and has the same mass at the end of the reaction.

In terms of activation energy, how does a catalyst increase the rate of a reaction?

It provides an alternative route with a lower activation energy, so a greater proportion of collisions are successful.

True or false? Adding a catalyst changes the products made in a reaction.

False. The products are the same — only the rate of the reaction increases.