How does a catalyst speed up a chemical reaction? A. by lowering the activation energy B. by lowering the ΔH of the reaction C. by raising the energy of the products D. by raising the energy of the reactants
Adding a catalyst has this effect on activation energy. A catalyst provides an alternative route for the reaction with a lower activation energy. As illustrated in the attached image.
This means that more particles have the activation energy required for the reaction to take place (compared to without the catalyst) and so the speed of the reaction increases.
