In this article, we employ concepts from cDFT to study the Sabatier principle in the context of unimolecular reactions. Specifically, we establish a connection between the Sabatier principle and the equilibrium between adsorption and desorption energies on the catalyst surface. The corresponding energy differences can be described using standard expressions for reaction energetics from the cDFT framework. Such an approach emphasizes the importance of chemical reactivity indices, such as chemical hardness and electronegativity, for the search of optimal catalysts with regard to the Sabatier principle. Despite inherent approximations within the conceptual DFT methodology, we demonstrate its broad applicability by comparing our approach with experimental results for the isomerization of methyl eugenol and the catalytic cyclization of alkanes. Consequently, the proposed theoretical framework provides valuable insights into the electronic properties of catalysts, reactants, and products, highlighting its relevance in validating the Sabatier principle.