Question

Assertion : A catalyst that increases the rate of a forward reaction also increases the rate of the reverse reaction
Reason : The activation energy for a forward reaction is necessarily equal to the of the reverse reaction.

• A. Both assertion and reason are correct and reason is the correct explanation for assertion
• B. Both assertion and reason are correct but reason is not the correct explanation for assertion
• C. Assertion is correct but reason is incorrect
• D. Assertion is incorrect but reason is correct
• E. Both assertion and reason are incorrect

Answer 1

The correct option is A Both assertion and reason are correct and reason is the correct explanation for assertion

In the presence of a catalyst, both the forward and reverse reaction rates will speed up equally, thereby allowing the system to reach equilibrium faster. However, it is very important to keep in mind that the addition of a catalyst has no effect whatsoever on the final equilibrium position of the reaction.

A catalyst increases the rate of a reaction by lowering the activation energy so that more reactant molecules collide with enough energy to surmount the smaller energy barrier.