recall the reactions (reagents and conditions) by which alkanes can be produced: (a) addition of hydrogen to an alkene in a hydrogenation reaction, \( H_2(g) \) and Pt/Ni catalyst and heat (b) cracking of a longer chain alkane, heat with \( Al_2O_3 \)

explain and use the terms catalyst and catalysis: (a) explain that, in the presence of a catalyst, a reaction has a different mechanism, i.e. one of lower activation energy (b) explain this catalytic effect in terms of the Boltzmann distribution (c) construct and interpret a reaction pathway diagram, for a reaction in the presence and absence of an effective catalyst