Revision notes topic questions past papers

2 ORGANISATION OF THE ORGANISM

YOUR NOTES

7 CHEMICAL REACTIONS

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CIE IGCSE Chemistry Revision Notes

CIE IGCSE Chemistry Resources

REVISION NOTES      TOPIC QUESTIONS      PAST PAPERS

7.2  REVERSIBLE REACTIONS  cont...

EXTENDED ONLY cont...

The position of equilibrium

•  Equilibrium position refers to the relationship between the concentration of reactants and 

products at the equilibrium state

•  When the position of equilibrium shifts to the left, it means the concentration of reactant 

increases

•  When the position of equilibrium shifts to right, this means the concentration of product 

increases

Effect of catalyst on equilibrium position

•  The presence of a catalyst does not affect the position of equilibrium but it does increase 

the rate at which equilibrium is reached

•  This is because the catalyst increases the rate of both the forward and backward 

reactions by the same amount (by providing an alternative pathway requiring lower 

activation energy)

•  As a result, the concentration of reactants and products is nevertheless the same at 

equilibrium as it would be without the catalyst

Diagram showing the effect of catalyst on equilibrium position

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