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.
How does a catalyst increase the rate of a reaction?
It provides an alternative reaction pathway with a lower activation energy.
True or false? Adding a catalyst increases the amount of product made in a reaction.
False. The amount of product is unaltered; the catalyst only makes the reaction faster.
What are the steps to show that a solid catalyst is unchanged in mass at the end of a reaction?
e.g. manganese(IV) oxide added to hydrogen peroxide- Find the mass of the catalyst before the reaction.
- After the reaction, filter off the catalyst and dry it.
- Find the mass of the catalyst again — it is unchanged.