What does a catalyst do in the context of polyethylene production according to the material?

What does a catalyst do in the context of polyethylene production according to the material?

• A. It helps produce longer molecular chains
• B. It changes the monomer into a different compound
• C. It stops the reaction
• D. It increases the amount of water produced

Answer: (A)

In polymerization of ethene to polyethylene, a catalyst provides a pathway with lower activation energy that lets growing polymer chains form more readily. It activates the ethene units so they can add to the end of an existing chain, causing the chain to grow longer and build up high-molecular-weight polyethylene. The catalyst doesn’t convert the monomer into a different compound, it doesn’t halt the reaction, and addition polymerization typically doesn’t produce water as a byproduct. So the main effect is enabling and speeding up the formation of longer molecular chains.

In polymerization of ethene to polyethylene, a catalyst provides a pathway with lower activation energy that lets growing polymer chains form more readily. It activates the ethene units so they can add to the end of an existing chain, causing the chain to grow longer and build up high-molecular-weight polyethylene. The catalyst doesn’t convert the monomer into a different compound, it doesn’t halt the reaction, and addition polymerization typically doesn’t produce water as a byproduct. So the main effect is enabling and speeding up the formation of longer molecular chains.