When a catalyst is added to a chemical reaction it provides a new reaction pathway that results in a different

That results in a different ALTERNATE pathway which has a LOWER ACTIVATION ENERGY.

Explanation:

There are many factors that affects a chemical reaction, these include'

--> surface area

--> concentration,

--> temperature,

--> pressure and

--> presence of CATALYST.

A CATALYST is defined as the substance that has the ability to alter the rate of a chemical reaction. Many reaction very slowly when left alone, but become faster when other substances are added. Such substances that merely alter the rate of reactions but do not take part in the reactions are called CATALYSTS.

Activation energy is defined as the energy barrier that must be overcome before a reaction takes place. A catalyst is able to increase the rate of a chemical reaction by decreasing the activation energy of the chemical system.

A catalyst provides an ALTERNATE PATHWAY for the reaction that has a LOWER ACTIVATION ENERGY. When activation energy is lower, more reactant particles have enough energy to react, so the reaction occurs faster.