Adding a catalyst to a system at equilibrium
- A. shifts the equilibrium towards the products
- B. shifts the equilibrium towards the reactants
- C. increases the value of Kc
- D. speeds up the forward and reverse reactions equally, so equilibrium is reached sooner but is unchanged
Explanation
A catalyst lowers the activation energy of both directions by the same amount, so both rates rise in proportion and they still become equal at exactly the same position. What changes is the time taken to get there, which is commercially vital in a process such as the Haber synthesis. Only temperature changes the value of Kc itself.
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