Question

The reaction shown below is used in the production of steel. It is an exothermic reaction. An engineer thinks that by finding the correct catalyst, he can reduce the amount of energy released by the reaction. Will his plan have the desired effect? Explain your answer.
Fe3O4(s) + 4C(s) → 3Fe(s) + 4CO(g)

Answer 1

No. Catalyst only reduce the activation energy, but don't change the energy released by the reaction.

Answer 2

A catalyst will alter the enthalpy of a reaction (the amount of heat that is released/absorbed) so it's not going to have the desired effect.

What are catalysts?

A catalyst is a substance that speeds up a chemical reaction, or lowers the temperature or pressure needed to start one, without itself being consumed during the reaction.

A catalyst increases the rate of a reaction, but does not get consumed in the reaction and does not alter the equilibrium constant.

In other words, a catalyst affects the kinetics of a reaction, but not the thermodynamics.

They work by increasing the rate of reaction through lowering the activation energy.

Hence, a catalyst will alter the enthalpy of a reaction (the amount of heat that is released/absorbed) so it's not going to have the desired effect.

Learn more about the catalysts here:

https://brainly.com/question/2951520

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