AQA · Chemistry · 8462
GCSE Chemistry: Catalysts
The rate and extent of chemical change · AQA GCSE Chemistry (8462), specification point 4.6.1.4. Cards are generated from the exam board's own specification for "Catalysts", and every card links back to the page it came from. Specification © AQA — used with attribution.
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Define a catalyst.
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A substance that changes the rate of a chemical reaction but is not used up during the reaction.
What happens to the amount of a catalyst during a reaction?
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It stays the same — a catalyst is not used up during the reaction.
Catalysts increase the rate of reaction by providing a different pathway with a lower ?.
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activation energy
How does a catalyst increase the rate of a reaction?
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It provides an alternative reaction pathway with a lower activation energy, so more particles have enough energy to react.
What are the catalysts in biological systems called?
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Enzymes.
Does a single catalyst work for every chemical reaction?
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No — different reactions need different catalysts.
Why is a catalyst not included in the chemical equation for a reaction?
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Because it is not used up — it is neither a reactant nor a product.
Give two ways to identify that a substance is acting as a catalyst.
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It changes the rate of the reaction, and it does not appear in the chemical equation for the reaction.
How does the reaction profile of a catalysed reaction differ from the uncatalysed one?
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The peak (activation energy) is lower; the energies of reactants and products are unchanged.
Which reaction is commonly used to investigate the catalytic effect of different metal salts?
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The decomposition of hydrogen peroxide.
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