Question

How does a catalyst increase the rate of a reaction?

Short answer

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

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.

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.

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.