Catalysts (Oxford AQA IGCSE Chemistry)
Revision Note
Written by: Alexandra Brennan
Reviewed by: Stewart Hird
Catalysts
Catalysts provide the reactants with a different pathway for a chemical reaction that has a lower activation energy
By lowering the activation energy, Ea, a greater proportion of molecules in the reaction mixture have sufficient energy for an effective collision
As a result of this, the rate of the catalysed reaction is increased compared to the uncatalysed reaction
Energy level diagram for an exothermic reaction with and without a catalyst
A catalyst lowers the activation energy
Examiner Tips and Tricks
You are expected to be able to draw a curve for the activation energy with a catalyst on a provided energy level diagram.
Make sure that the curve starts and finishes in the same place as the original curve but is lower.
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