Catalysts are incredibly useful in chemical reactions. Their presence speeds up the rate of a chemical reaction by providing an alternative reaction pathway. This reaction pathway requires less energy. This reduced activation energy means more reactants are able to react and so the rate of reaction is increased.
By the end of this section you will be able to:
- explain how catalysts speed up reaction rates
- demonstrate that catalysts are re-usable
- demonstrate to pupils that catalysts are involved in the reaction mechanism