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PPonte
What does a catalyst in a chemical reaction? I read wikipedia and the information is not very detailed to satisfy me. It basically says:
This means that catalysts reduce the amount of energy needed to start a chemical reaction. Molecules that would not have had the energy to react or that have such low energies that they probably would have taken a long time to react are able to react in the presence of a catalyst. Thus, more molecules that need to gain less energy to react will go through the chemical reaction.
siddharth said:What a catalyst usually does is to lower the Energy of activation of the reaction by offering an alternate mechanism.
PPonte said:Precisely, but in what consists this alternate mechanism?
PPonte said:Thank you very much, siddharth. How do you find these sites? I have searched a lot.
A catalyst works by lowering the activation energy required for a chemical reaction to occur. This means that the reaction can happen at a faster rate, without needing as much energy.
No, a catalyst is specific to certain types of reactions. It needs to have a compatible molecular structure to interact with the reactants and facilitate the reaction.
A catalyst remains unchanged and is not consumed during the reaction. It may undergo temporary bonding with the reactants, but it will be regenerated at the end of the reaction.
A catalyst does not affect the equilibrium of a chemical reaction. It only speeds up the rate at which the reaction reaches equilibrium, but it does not change the position of the equilibrium itself.
Yes, a catalyst can be reused in multiple reactions. As it is not consumed during the reaction, it can be recovered and used again in subsequent reactions.