Answer: Providing an alternate pathway with lower activation energy.
- A Increasing the enthalpy of reaction overall in most cases
- B Providing an alternate pathway with lower activation energy
- C Permanently changing into a new substance under typical conditions
- D Shifting the equilibrium position of a reaction according to standard textbooks
Correct answer: B. Providing an alternate pathway with lower activation energy
Explanation: A catalyst speeds up a reaction by providing a path with lower activation energy, without undergoing permanent chemical change itself.
A typical adsorption isotherm: x/m (mass adsorbed per gram of adsorbent) rises steeply at low pressure, then flattens into a saturation plateau as the adsorbent surface fills up.
Concept context
Explore the chemistry that happens at interfaces, from catalysts that speed up industrial reactions to colloids like milk, smoke, and gels that surround us every day.