Catalysts

Mr. Anderson's Chemistry Essentials video 044 covers catalysts, explaining how they speed up reactions by lowering activation energy without being consumed. The video includes a demonstration of the elephant toothpaste experiment and a catalase enzyme reaction with hydrogen peroxide. It discusses how catalysts stabilize transition states and create new intermediates, altering reaction mechanisms. The video concludes with a summary of energy profiles and the role of catalysts in chemical reactions.

What is the primary function of a catalyst in a chemical reaction?

• To speed up the reaction without being consumed

• To change the products of the reaction

• To increase the temperature of the reaction

• To increase the pressure of the reaction

How do catalysts generally speed up chemical reactions?

• By increasing the concentration of reactants

• By lowering the activation energy

• By increasing the volume of the reaction

• By changing the state of the reactants

What role does a catalyst play in the transition state of a reaction?

• It stabilizes the transition state

• It converts the transition state into reactants

• It eliminates the transition state

• It increases the energy required to reach the transition state

In the catalase demonstration, what is the role of the iron in the heme group?

• To add hydrogen to the reaction

• To convert water into oxygen

• To pull oxygen away from hydrogen peroxide

• To increase the temperature of the reaction

In the elephant toothpaste experiment, what is the function of potassium iodide?

• To act as a solvent

• To act as a reactant

• To act as a catalyst

• To act as a product