Which of the following statements best distinguishes a catalyst from an intermediate…
CHEMISTRY · Single correct · AP · Chemistry · Kinetics · Kinetics
Problem
Which of the following statements best distinguishes a catalyst from an intermediate in a multi-step reaction mechanism?
(a) It is produced in one elementary step and consumed in the next, so it does not appear in the overall balanced equation.
(b) It is consumed in an early elementary step and regenerated in a later step, so its overall concentration remains unchanged.
(c) It shifts the position of equilibrium toward products by lowering the forward activation energy only.
(d) It is present only in the rate–determining step and absent from all other elementary steps.