Statement I: A catalyst increases the rate of the reaction

Statement II: A catalysed reaction proceeds through a new path having lower activation energy

Statement I and statement II are correct and statement II is correct explanation of statement I

The correct answer is option 1. Statement I and statement II are correct and statement II is the correct explanation of statement I.

Statement I is correct because a catalyst is a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself being consumed in the reaction. Catalysts work by providing a new pathway for the reaction to proceed, which lowers the activation energy of the reaction. This means that more reactant molecules will have enough energy to react, and the rate of the reaction will increase.

Statement II is also correct because a catalysed reaction proceeds through a new path having lower activation energy. This is the energy barrier that the reactant molecules must overcome in order to react. When the activation energy is lowered, more reactant molecules will have enough energy to react, and the rate of the reaction will increase.

Therefore, statement II is the correct explanation of statement I. A catalyst increases the rate of the reaction because it lowers the activation energy of the reaction, which allows more reactant molecules to react.

Here is an example of a reaction that is catalyzed by a catalyst:

\(2H_2 + O_2 \rightarrow 2H_2O\)

In the absence of a catalyst, this reaction would have a very high activation energy, and it would take a long time for the reaction to occur. However, in the presence of a catalyst, such as platinum, the activation energy is much lower, and the reaction can occur much more quickly.

The catalyst, platinum, provides a new pathway for the reaction to proceed. In the absence of the catalyst, the reaction would have to proceed through a different pathway that has a higher activation energy. This would make the reaction much slower.