Chemistry
How Activation Energy Barriers Are Lowered by Homogeneous Catalysts
Quick fact
A homogeneous catalyst can lower the activation energy of a reaction by as much as 10–20 kJ/mol, which can increase the reaction rate by factors of 10 to 100 or more at room temperature—even though the catalyst itself is unchanged at the end and is not consumed.
Why this is interesting
You've probably seen that a catalyst speeds up a reaction, but have you ever wondered how it actually does it—especially when it's dissolved right in the reaction mixture? It's not by pushing the reactants harder; it's by giving them a completely different, easier route.