Catalysis: Accelerating Chemical Reactions

Catalysis is the phenomenon of speeding up a chemical reaction with a catalyst that is not itself consumed — by opening an alternative reaction pathway with a lower activation energy. This simulator models a reversible gas-phase reaction A + B ⇌ C inside a sealed chamber: reactant molecules move at a speed set by temperature, and every collision between an A and a B is tested against the real Arrhenius rate law, k = A·e^(−Eₐ/RT), to decide whether it reacts. Toggle the catalyst to seed the chamber with active-site clusters that lower the effective activation energy for any collision nearby — for both the forward and reverse reaction — and watch the measured reaction rate, conversion and rate constant respond in real time.