In a food-processing plant, lactose is converted into glucose and galactose using a catalyst. Two catalysts, L and M, were tested with the same starting amount of lactose and at the same temperature.
The table shows the activation energy with each catalyst and the time taken to form 0.020 mol of glucose.
| Catalyst | Activation energy (kJ/mol\text{kJ/mol}kJ/mol) | Time to form 0.020 mol of glucose (s) |
|---|---|---|
| L | 34 | 72 |
| M | 19 | 38 |
Use the activation energies and the times in the table to explain the difference in rate between the two catalysts.
127 exam-style questions on AQA GCSE Chemistry 6.1 Rate of reaction, covering 6.1.1a Calculating rates of reactions, 6.1.1b Gradient of a tangent as rate, 6.1.2 Factors which affect the rates of chemical reactions, 6.1.3 Collision theory and activation energy, and 6.1.4 Catalysts. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.