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It decreases the activation energy, or the energy barrier the reactants must go through to form products. This is the same thing as the energy of the transition state.

By decreasing the activation energy necessary for the reaction to occur, more reactants are able to form products since not as much energy is needed.

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13y ago
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6mo ago

A catalyst lowers the activation energy required for the reaction to occur, which allows the reaction to proceed faster at the same temperature. It does this by providing an alternative reaction pathway that is more favorable and requires less energy to reach the transition state.

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13y ago

A catalyst lowers the activation energy for a reaction between two molecules by providing an alternative path for the reaction to happen.

This way more molecules will collide with the correct amount of energy, hence speeding up the reaction.

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Q: Why does a catalyst cause a reaction to proceed faster?
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Related questions

Why does a reaction proceed faster when the reactants have greater surfaces area?

A greater the surface area will cause the reaction will proceed faster because there are more available sites where another reagent or catalyst can "attack" the reactant.


What is the effect of a catalyst on a chemical reaction?

To Cause a Chemical reaction. A properly chosen, specific catalyst is able to speed up the rate of a particular chemical reaction.


Would a catalyst cause an endothermic reaction to become exothermic?

No, a catalyst does not change the overall energy of a reaction. It only lowers the activation energy required for the reaction to occur. Therefore, a catalyst cannot change an endothermic reaction into an exothermic one.


What element can cause a molecule to move faster?

If you mean something else, like- What can speed up a chemical reaction, that would be a catalyst. Or, you could say heat, though that is not an element.


Why is an enzyme considered a catalyst?

An enzyme is considered a catalyst because it speeds up chemical reactions without being consumed in the process. By lowering the activation energy required for a reaction to occur, enzymes facilitate the conversion of substrates into products more efficiently.


What does the presence of an enzyme cause?

The presence of an enzyme can accelerate chemical reactions by lowering the activation energy required for the reaction to occur. Enzymes act as biological catalysts, allowing reactions to proceed at a faster rate without being consumed in the process.


What causes an increase of speed in a combustion reaction?

An increase in temperature, pressure, or concentration of reactants can cause an increase in speed in a combustion reaction. This provides more energy to break the bonds and allows the reaction to proceed faster.


Do catalyst increase equilibrium constant?

Catalysts do not affect the equilibrium constant of a reaction. They increase the rate of both the forward and reverse reactions, allowing the system to reach equilibrium faster but not changing the position of the equilibrium.


How does a catalyst change the rate of a chemical reaction?

Lowers the activation energy of a reaction, therefore speeding the reaction up.Catalysts speed up chemical reactions. They do not change the products or reactants of the reaction, and are not used up or consumed in the reaction. Biological catalysts are called enzymes. Catalysts lower the activation energy (or energy needed to start a reaction), and cause the reaction to occur more quickly.


What does trotting mean?

(with reference to a horse or other quadruped) proceed or cause to proceed at a pace faster than a walk, lifting each diagonal pair of legs alternately


What word means A substance that can cause something to happen faster than it might have otherwise but is not permanently changed itself?

That is the definition of a catalyst.


Define the term catalyze?

A catalyst is something that provides an alternative route for a reaction to occur, either by allowing the reaction to occur at a different transition state or by changing the activation energy, and the catalyst itself does not undergo any chemical change during the reaction (materials that do undergo chemical changes are not classified as catalysts, and it gets murkier when you ask about physical changes, i believe there is an iron based material that acts like a catalyst but undergoes a physical change) Alternatively, catalyst can mean an event or a person that produces progress (whether positive or negative), e.g. when someone says 'his appointment was the catalyst for the company's success)