Which of the following will change when a catalyst is added to a chemical reaction?
-
The activation energy
- The potential energy of the reactants
- The heat of the reaction
- the potential energy of the product
The correct answer is: A
Explanation
Adding a catalyst to a chemical reaction lowers the activation energy.
A catalyst speeds up a reaction by providing an alternative reaction pathway that requires less energy. This is similar to how an escalator requires less energy to get to a destination than stairs.The catalyst does not change the energy of the reactants or products. It also doesn't change the standard enthalpy change or the Gibbs energy of the reaction.