Areaction rate increases by a factor of 655 in the presence of a catalyst at 37°c. the activation energy of the original pathway is 106 kj/mol. what is the activation energy of the new pathway, all other factors being equal?

Answer : The activation energy of the new pathway is, 89.2869 kJ/mol

Solution :

According to the Arrhenius equation,

The expression used with catalyst and without catalyst is,

where,

= rate of reaction without catalyst  = x

= rate of reaction with catalyst  = 655 x

= activation energy with catalyst  = ?

= activation energy without catalyst  = 106 kJ/mole = 106000 J/mole

R = gas constant = 8.314 J/mole.K

T = temperature =

Now put all the given values in this formula, we get:

Therefore, the activation energy of the new pathway is, 89.2869 kJ/mol