Which of the following statements about catalysts and chemical equilibrium is correct?
a) A catalyst lowers the activation energy of the forward reaction only, so the equilibrium position shifts toward products.
b) A catalyst lowers the activation energies of both the forward and reverse reactions equally, so the equilibrium constant K remains unchanged.
c) A catalyst provides an alternate pathway that decreases the standard Gibbs free energy change ΔG∘, thereby increasing the equilibrium constant K.
d) A catalyst lowers the enthalpy of the products, resulting in a larger equilibrium constant K.