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What is the effect of adding a catalyst on the equilibrium position of a redox reaction between potassium permanganate and oxalic acid? Provide a detailed explanation and calculations to support your answer.

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Adding a catalyst to a redox reaction between potassium permanganate  KMnO4  and oxalic acid  H2C2O4  will not affect the equilibrium position of the reaction. A catalyst is a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction by lowering the activation energy barrier without being consumed in the reaction. It does not change the thermodynamics of the reaction, meaning it does not affect the equilibrium constant  K  or the equilibrium position.The redox reaction between potassium permanganate and oxalic acid can be represented as follows:2 MnO4-  aq  + 5 H2C2O4  aq  + 6 H+  aq   2 Mn2+  aq  + 10 CO2  g  + 8 H2O  l In this reaction, the MnO4- ion is reduced to Mn2+ ion, and the oxalic acid is oxidized to carbon dioxide. The equilibrium constant  K  for this reaction is determined by the ratio of the concentrations of the products to the reactants at equilibrium, raised to the power of their stoichiometric coefficients:K = [Mn2+]^2 * [CO2]^10 * [H2O]^8 /  [MnO4-]^2 * [H2C2O4]^5 * [H+]^6 Adding a catalyst to this reaction will increase the rate at which the reaction proceeds, both in the forward and reverse directions. However, it will not change the equilibrium constant  K  or the equilibrium position, as the catalyst does not affect the thermodynamics of the reaction.In conclusion, adding a catalyst to the redox reaction between potassium permanganate and oxalic acid will increase the rate at which the reaction reaches equilibrium, but it will not affect the equilibrium position itself.

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