BRAINCAKEEffects of Catalysts on the Position of Equilibrium
A catalyst has no effect on the position of equilibrium. It speeds up the forward and reverse reactions by the same factor, so the equilibrium composition does not change.
The catalyst lowers the activation energy for both directions, so equilibrium is reached more quickly. The yield of product at equilibrium stays the same.
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Key terms in this lesson
- Catalyst
- A substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without being used up, by providing an alternative reaction pathway with a lower activation energy.
- Position of equilibrium
- The relative amounts of reactants and products present when a reversible reaction has reached equilibrium.
More in Equilibrium
- Le Chatelier's Principle
- Effect of Changing the Concentration on the Position of Equilibrium
- Effects of Temperature on the Position of Equilibrium
- Effects of Pressure on the position of Equilibrium
- The Haber Process
- The Equilibrium Law
- Calculating the Equilibrium Constant
- Significance of the Equilibrium Constant
All 10 lessons in Equilibrium · All OCR AS-level Chemistry topics