Catalysis: Enhancing Reaction Rates
Catalyst: increases reaction rate but is not consumed in the reaction
A catalyst increases reaction rate (via increasing k) by lowering the
activation energy (barrier) of the reaction.
Both forward and reverse reactions are catalyzed; reaction
thermodynamics is unaffected!
The catalyzed reaction proceeds via a different mechanism
than the uncatalyzed reaction.
| Previous slide | Next slide | Back to first slide | View graphic version |