How do catalysts work to accelerate a chemical reaction?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Catalysts lower the energy of activation required for a chemical reaction to occur. This provides an alternative pathway(s) for the reaction to take, which requires less energy than the uncatalyzed reaction. This increases the rate of the reaction without affecting the overall free energy change of the reaction (which is determined only by the energies of the reactants and products). Therefore, choices A, B, and D are incorrect.

How Do Catalysts Work to Accelerate a Chemical Reaction