Kinetics 4 Arrhenius and

Catalysis
The Key Equation

k = Ae-Ea/RT
k = A exp[-Ea/RT]
lnk = lnA -Ea/RT
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Kinetics 4 - Aims
How catalysts work
Catalysis in biology, in the atmosphere
and in industry

Catalysis
A catalyst is a substance that changes the
speed (rate) of a chemical reaction without
undergoing any permanent change itself
Catalysts are very common; most reactions in
the human body, the atmosphere, the oceans

or in industrial chemistry occur with the help

of catalysts
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Catalysis
Catalysts are not used up during a
reaction but may be changed physically
eg solid catalysts sometimes crumble
Only small amounts are needed
Catalysts do not affect the amount of
product formed; only the rate of
formation

Examples of catalysts
1.

Biological: protein molecules called enzymes

2.

Atmospheric: radicals affecting the ozone

concentration

3.

Industrial: Pt metal used in the petroleum industry

Catalysts are either homogeneous (in the same phase

as the reactant) or heterogeneous (in a different
phase from the reactant)
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How do catalysts work?

Arrhenius equation: k = Ae-Ea/RT
The rate coefficient k is determined by the activation
energy (Ea) and the frequency factor (A)

A catalyst can affect the rate of a chemical reaction

by altering the value of Ea or A
Most dramatic catalytic effects come from lowering
the Ea value

Generally a catalyst lowers the overall activation

energy for a chemical reaction- care needed here!

How do catalysts work?

Chemical reactions involve bond breaking
and bond making
Bond breaking is an endothermic process
(requires energy amount Ea)
Catalysts provide an alternative pathway for
the bond-breaking process, which have lower

Eas
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How do catalysts work?

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Uncatalysed rxn

Energy (kJ mol -1)

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7
6

Catalysed rxn

5
4
3
2
1
0
0

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15

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Reaction Pathway

How do catalysts work 2?

Highlighting the alternative pathways

Semantic argument?
Does a catalyst really work by decreasing
the activation energy of the reaction?
OR
Does a catalyst work by providing a new

route for the reaction that has a lower

activation energy?
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Biological Catalysts
All the systems in the human body must occur at
carefully controlled rates in order to maintain
human life

Enzymes are an example of biological catalysts

that are necessary for the reactions in the human
body to occur at suitable rates
Most enzymes are large protein molecules
Very selective in the reactions they catalyse
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Biological Catalysts
Decomposition of H2O2 is an important biological process
H2O2 is strongly oxidising and can be very harmful

Many enzymes can catalyse the decomposition of H2O2

into H2O and O2 eg bromide ion (Br-(aq))
Br-(aq) reacts with H2O2 in acidic solution, forming
aqueous bromine and water:

2Br-(aq) + H2O2(aq) + 2H+ Br2(aq) + 2H2O(l)

H2O2 also reacts with the Br2(aq) generated
Br2(aq) + H2O2(aq) 2Br-(aq) + 2H+ + O2(g)
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Biological Catalysts
The overall reaction is
2H2O2(aq) 2H2O(l) + O2(g)

H2O2 is completely decomposed and Br-(aq) is the

catalyst
It speeds up the reaction without itself undergoing
any net change
Br2 is a reaction intermediate because it is first

formed and then consumed

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Biological Catalysts
Catalase is another enzyme that will speed
up the decomposition of H2O2
The enzyme is a large molecule but the
reaction is catalysed at a very specific
region/ location in the enzyme called the
active site
The substances that undergo reaction at

this site are called substrates

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Biological Catalysts
Combination of the
enzyme and the substrate
is called the
enzyme-substrate
complex

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Biological Catalysts
The substrate weakly interacts with the active
site. A product is formed. The initial weak
bond formed is easily broken and the enzyme
is regenerated
Enzymes are sensitive to both pH and

temperature. Most are killed off at

temperatures > 60
Enzymes are homogeneous catalysts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZD5xsOKres
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Atmospheric catalysts
O3 in our upper atmosphere is very important as
it helps to filter out harmful UV radiation
Chlorofluorcarbons (CFCs) are inert compounds
which can rise to the upper atmosphere where

they are then broken down by light (photolysis) to

make Cl radicals
These Cl radicals can react with ozone causing
its destruction
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Atmospheric catalysts
1.

CF2Cl2(g) + light CF2Cl(g) + Cl(g)

2.

Cl(g) + O3(g) ClO(g) + O2(g)

This ClO can then react with O atoms to give

Cl and O2

The Cl radical is therefore regenerated and the

cycle is known as a catalytic cycle

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Atmospheric catalysts
The rate at which ozone is destroyed
increases as the quantity of Cl atoms
increase
The greater amount of CFCs that
diffuse in to the stratosphere, the faster
the destruction of the ozone layer
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Industrial catalysts
Often HETEROGENEOUS in nature
The octane number (ON) of a gasoline is a
measure of its resistance to knocking: high
ON burn more smoothly and more effective
fuels

Example: High octane ratings in fuels are

related to : (i) length of the hydrocarbon chain
(ii) branched structure

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Industrial catalysts
Pentane has an octane number, ON = 62,
whereas 2-methyl butane has ON = 93
CH3CH2CH2CH2CH3 CH3C(H)CH2CH3
CH3

The rate of the isomerization between the two

is increased in the presence of Pt-metal
Catalysis- a good summary of the things we need to know:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYD5LNVWne8
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