Which statement describes a catalyst?
catalysts appear as reactants in a chemical equation.
catalysts are completely consumed by the reaction.
catalysts provide a lower energy pathway for the reaction.
catalysts speed up chemical reactions by increasing surface area.

Option (c) is the correct answer.

Explanation:

A catalyst is a substance which increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself getting consumed.

It is known that all catalysts are enzymes but all enzymes are not catalysts. Therefore like enzymes, a catalyst also lowers the activation energy of a reaction so that molecules with less amount of energy can easily participate in the chemical reaction.

Hence, the path of reaction changes and the rate of reaction increases.

Thus, we can conclude that catalysts provide a lower energy pathway for the reaction.

it has one proton,

and one electron

Explanation: