Concept:A catalyst speeds up a chemical reaction without being consumed or altering the position of equilibrium.
Explanation:In this reaction, ethyl ethanoate hydrolyses to form ethanoic acid and ethanol.
The hydrogen ion,
H+, is not a reactant that changes the amounts of products.
Instead,
H+ acts as a catalyst for the hydrolysis.
It lowers the activation energy, so the forward and reverse reactions both proceed faster.
As a catalyst,
H+ increases the rate of the hydrolysis reaction, but it does not increase the yield of products.
It also does not maintain a constant pH or specifically decrease the reverse reaction rate.
Answer:C. increase the rate of the hydrolysis