Which of the following statements about catalysts and chemical equilibrium is correct?
CHEMISTRY · Single correct · AP · Chemistry · Kinetics · Kinetics
Problem
Which of the following statements about catalysts and chemical equilibrium is correct?
(a) A catalyst lowers the activation energy of the forward reaction only, so the equilibrium position shifts toward products.
(b) A catalyst lowers the activation energies of both the forward and reverse reactions equally, so the equilibrium constant K remains unchanged.
(c) A catalyst provides an alternate pathway that decreases the standard Gibbs free energy change ΔG∘, thereby increasing the equilibrium constant K.
(d) A catalyst lowers the enthalpy of the products, resulting in a larger equilibrium constant K.