Do catalysts themselves need an input of energy to work?
My book says "catalysts do not per se require an energy source". What does it mean by per se? If they don't use energy how do they activate?
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1$\begingroup$ Come to think of it, do the reactants need energy? $\endgroup$ – Ivan Neretin Feb 2 '18 at 7:56
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$\begingroup$ @IvanNeretin Well then what is the activation energy? I always thought of it as the minimum energy needed to be supplied to the reactants ... $\endgroup$ – Gaurang Tandon Feb 2 '18 at 13:00
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1$\begingroup$ The word "supplied" may be misleading. We don't have to supply anything, since thermal energy is already there. If it isn't, then of course we have zero K and no reaction. $\endgroup$ – Ivan Neretin Feb 2 '18 at 13:05
