How can a catalyst speed both the forward and reverse directions of a reaction?

A catalyst accelerates a chemical reaction by lowering the activation energy—the minimum energy required for reactants to form an activated complex and proceed to products.12

Because a reverse chemical reaction can proceed by the reversal of the steps that constitute the mechanism of the forward reaction, a catalyst accelerates the reaction in both directions equally. Consequently, while a catalyst increases the rate at which chemical equilibrium is attained, it does not change the position of that equilibrium.12

Wilhelm Ostwald, who received the 1909 Nobel Prize for his foundational work in this field, defined catalysis as the modification of reaction velocity by a substance that is not consumed during the process. By providing an alternative pathway with a lower energy barrier, the catalyst facilitates the transformation of reactants into products and products back into reactants with equal efficiency.13452