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Chapter 14: Problem 50

What are the characteristics of a catalyst?

Short Answer

Expert verified
A catalyst is a substance that speeds up a chemical reaction without being consumed by the reaction. It can work in either homogeneous or heterogeneous catalysis, providing a lower-energy pathway for the reaction. Crucially, while catalysts speed up the rate of both the forward and reverse reactions, they do not shift the equilibrium of the reaction.

Step by step solution

01

Identifying Characteristics of a Catalyst

Firstly, we can begin by stating that a catalyst is a substance that speeds up a chemical reaction without being consumed by the reaction. This means that a catalyst can be used repeatedly for the same reaction because it does not get used up.
02

Additional Properties

Secondly, it's important to note that catalysts can be in the same phase as the reactants, known as homogeneous catalysis, or in a different phase, known as heterogeneous catalysis. The catalyst changes the mechanism of the reaction, often by providing a lower-energy pathway for the reaction to occur.
03

Role of a Catalyst

Lastly, catalysts do not change the equilibrium of a reaction. They only affect the rate at which the equilibrium is reached. That is, the catalysts speed up the rate of both the forward and reverse reactions equally, allowing the system to reach equilibrium faster but does not shift the position of the equilibrium.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

When a mixture of methane and bromine is exposed to light, the following reaction occurs slowly: $$ \mathrm{CH}_{4}(g)+\mathrm{Br}_{2}(g) \longrightarrow \mathrm{CH}_{3} \mathrm{Br}(g)+\mathrm{HBr}(g) $$ Suggest a reasonable mechanism for this reaction. (Hint: Bromine vapor is deep red; methane is colorless.)

On which of these quantities does the rate constant of a reaction depend: (a) concentrations of reactants, (b) nature of reactants, (c) temperature?

In the nuclear industry, workers use a rule of thumb that the radioactivity from any sample will be relatively harmless after 10 half-lives. Calculate the fraction of a radioactive sample that remains after this time. (Hint: Radioactive decays obey first-order kinetics.)

For each of these pairs of reaction conditions, indicate which has the faster rate of formation of hydrogen gas: (a) sodium or potassium with water, (b) magnesium or iron with \(1.0 \mathrm{M} \mathrm{HCl}\), (c) magnesium rod or magnesium powder with \(1.0 \mathrm{M} \mathrm{HCl}\), (d) magnesium with \(0.10 M \mathrm{HCl}\) or magnesium with \(1.0 \mathrm{M} \mathrm{HCl}\).

The rate of the reaction $$ \begin{aligned} \mathrm{CH}_{3} \mathrm{COOC}_{2} \mathrm{H}_{5}(a q) &+\mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{O}(l) \\ \longrightarrow & \mathrm{CH}_{3} \mathrm{COOH}(a q)+\mathrm{C}_{2} \mathrm{H}_{5} \mathrm{OH}(a q) \end{aligned} $$ shows first-order characteristics-that is, rate \(=\) \(k\left[\mathrm{CH}_{3} \mathrm{COOC}_{2} \mathrm{H}_{5}\right]\) - even though this is a second- order reaction (first order in \(\mathrm{CH}_{3} \mathrm{COOC}_{2} \mathrm{H}_{5}\) and first order in \(\mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{O}\) ). Explain.
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