Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry Practice Exam

Question: 1 / 400

What would happen if a catalyst is introduced to a reaction at equilibrium?

It would change the equilibrium position

It would speed up the attainment of equilibrium without affecting the position

Introducing a catalyst to a reaction at equilibrium provides a pathway that lowers the activation energy for both the forward and reverse reactions equally. This means that while the catalyst accelerates the rate at which equilibrium is reached by allowing both the reactants to convert to products and the products to revert to reactants more quickly, it does not alter the ratio of products to reactants at equilibrium.

Therefore, the position of equilibrium remains unchanged, but the time taken to reach that equilibrium is significantly reduced. This is why the correct assertion is that a catalyst speeds up the attainment of equilibrium without affecting the position.

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It would slow down the reaction rate

It would not have any effect on the reaction

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