A catayst which increases the rate of a chemical reaction does so by
Answer Details
A catalyst increases the rate of a chemical reaction by decreasing the activation energy required for the reaction to occur. In simpler terms, the catalyst provides an alternative pathway for the reaction to take place, which requires less energy than the original pathway. This lower energy pathway allows more reactant molecules to collide with enough energy to overcome the activation energy barrier, which speeds up the rate of the reaction. Therefore, a catalyst does not change the initial or final energy levels of the reaction, but it lowers the energy barrier that must be overcome for the reaction to take place, making the reaction occur more quickly.