This common misconceptions covers Common Misconceptions within Reaction Profiles for GCSE Chemistry. Revise Reaction Profiles in Energy Changes for GCSE Chemistry with 28 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This is a high-frequency topic, so it is worth revising until the explanation feels precise and repeatable. It is section 9 of 13 in this topic. Use this common misconceptions to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Topic position
Section 9 of 13
Practice
28 questions
Recall
15 flashcards
⚠️ Common Misconceptions
Misconception 1: "Catalysts provide energy for the reaction"
Catalysts do NOT provide energy. They work by offering an alternative reaction pathway that has a LOWER activation energy. This means more of the colliding particles already have enough energy to react, so the rate increases. The catalyst itself does not supply any energy to the reaction, and the overall ΔH remains unchanged.
Misconception 2: "The activation energy is the total energy released by the reaction"
Activation energy and ΔH are completely different measurements. Activation energy is the energy needed to START the reaction (reactants to peak). ΔH is the OVERALL energy change (reactants to products). For an exothermic reaction, the peak is higher than the reactants but the products are lower — so Ea and ΔH point in different directions.
Misconception 3: "The reaction profile curve must always be a smooth hump"
The reaction profile is always shown with a smooth curve that goes up to a peak and back down. However, the key point is that the curve must go UP to a peak before it comes down (even for exothermic reactions), because activation energy is always required. If you draw the reactants straight down to products with no peak, that is scientifically incorrect.