What happens to the equilibrium when a catalyst is added to a reaction?

When a catalyst is added to a reaction, it increases the rate of both the forward and reverse reactions equally. This occurs because a catalyst provides an alternative reaction pathway with a lower activation energy, allowing more molecules to collide successfully and lead to a reaction at a given temperature.

While the catalyst speeds up the attainment of equilibrium, it does not affect the position of the equilibrium itself; this means that the relative concentrations of reactants and products at equilibrium stay the same. As a result, the addition of a catalyst does not shift the equilibrium towards products or change the equilibrium constant. Thus, the primary effect of a catalyst is to enable the reaction to reach equilibrium faster without altering the balance between products and reactants.