Catalysts do not affect the position of equilibrium in a chemical reaction. They speed up both the forward and reverse reactions equally by lowering the activation energy, so the system reaches equilibrium faster.
Key points:
- Rate of reaching equilibrium: Catalysts increase the reaction rate, so equilibrium is achieved more quickly.
- Equilibrium position: The concentrations of reactants and products at equilibrium remain the same; the catalyst does not favor either side.
- Thermodynamics unaffected: Catalysts do not change the Gibbs free energy, enthalpy, or the equilibrium constant of the reaction.
In short: catalysts make a reaction faster but do not change what the equilibrium looks like.