Potential Energy Surface (PES)
Drag Node $E_a$
💡 Direct Manipulation: Drag the neon cyan transition state node vertically to lower or raise activation energy barrier ($E_a$).
Heterogeneous catalysts provide an alternative reaction pathway with a significantly lower activation energy ($E_a$). Reactants adsorb onto active metal surface sites (e.g. Pt(111)), undergo bond weakening, react via Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetics to form transition state intermediates, and desorb as finished products. According to the Sabatier Principle, catalyst activity is optimized when binding energy ($E_{bind}$) is moderate—neither too weak to adsorb reactants nor too strong to desorb products.