Statement 1: A catalyst increases the equilibrium constant of an exothermic reaction at low temperature.
Statement 2: A catalyst increases the rates of the forward and the backward reactions by the same factor.

Question

Statement 1: A catalyst increases the equilibrium constant of an exothermic reaction at low temperature.

Statement 2: A catalyst increases the rates of the forward and the backward reactions by the same factor.

TestHub · Accepted Answer

The equilibrium constant K is given by the ratio of the forward rate constant k_f to the reverse rate constant k_b:

K = (k_f)/(k_b)

A catalyst increases both k_f and k_b by the same factor. Therefore, the ratio k_f/k_b remains unchanged, meaning Statement 2 is correct.

The equilibrium constant K is temperature-dependent. Thus, K changes only with temperature, making Statement 1 incorrect.

Since Statement 1 is incorrect and Statement 2 is correct, the answer is option (d).

Chemistry - Chemical Equilibrium Question with Solution | TestHub