Determining Enthalpy Change

EXPERIMENT 1

Mark Riley

Introduction: When zinc reacts with copper(II) sulphate solution in a displacement

reaction it causes an enthalpy change. The heat this change produces
can be calculated by an experiment in which known amounts of the 2
substances are mixed in a vessel and the change in temperature
recorded.

Aim: To determine through experiment the enthalpy change when Zinc is

added to copper(II) sulphate solution.

Hypothesis: The experiment will be an accurate way of depicting the enthalpy

change of this displacement reaction. The overall enthalpy will be
negative making the reaction exothermic.

Equipment: Please see page 6 of the practical manual ATP413 CHEM.2

Procedure: Please see page 6 of the practical manual ATP413 CHEM.2

Mark Riley Chemistry Lab Exam 1

 Results:

𝒁𝒏(𝒔) + 𝑪𝒖𝑺𝑶𝟒(𝒂𝒒) = 𝑪𝒖(𝒔) + 𝒁𝒏𝑺𝑶𝟒(𝒂𝒒)

Table A Graph A

Time Temp
(mins) (°C) Temperature vs Time
0.5 22
1 23
70
1.5 23
2 23 60
2.5 23 Series1
3 50
Temperature (°C)

3.5 38 extrapolation
40
4 46
y = -1.0714x + 61.214
4.5 47 30
5 49
5.5 52 20
6 53.5
10
6.5 54
7 54 0
7.5 53 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
8 53
8.5 52 Time (mins)
9 51.5
9.5 51

Mark Riley Chemistry Lab Exam 2

RESULTS / Calculations:

EX2A. Number of moles zinc used

𝑚 4.00
𝑛= = 0.061 𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑠
𝑁 65.37

EX2B. Balanced equation for the reaction.

𝑍𝑛(𝑠) + 𝐶𝑢𝑆𝑂4(𝑎𝑞 ) = 𝐶𝑢(𝑠) + 𝑍𝑛𝑆𝑂4(𝑎𝑞 )

EX2C. Moles of zinc that would react with 1 mole of CuSO4

1𝑍𝑛(𝑠) + 1𝐶𝑢𝑆𝑂4(𝑎𝑞) = 1𝑪𝒖(𝒔) + 1𝑍𝑛𝑆𝑂4(𝑎𝑞) ∴ 𝑂𝑛𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑐𝑡

EX2D. The excess reagent

𝑇𝑕𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑕𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑖𝑠 − 𝑍𝑛: 𝐶𝑢𝑆𝑂4 65.4𝑔: 159.6𝑔

𝐶𝑢𝑆𝑂4 − 0.025 𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑥 63.54 + 32.1 + 64 𝑔 = 3.99𝑔

3.99𝑔
𝑍𝑛 − 65.4𝑔 𝑥 159.6𝑔
= 1.64𝑔

EX2E. Number of moles used

1𝑍𝑛(𝑠) : 1𝐶𝑢𝑆𝑂4(𝑎𝑞 ) 𝑒 0.025 𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝐶𝑢𝑆𝑂4 ∴ 0.025 𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑍𝑛

EX2F. 𝑬𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒈𝒚 𝒂𝒃𝒔𝒐𝒓𝒃𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 = 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒙 𝟒. 𝟐 𝒙 ∆𝑻

25 𝑥 4.2𝐽 𝑥 54°𝐶 − 22°𝐶 = 3360 𝐽𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑑

EX2G. Enthalpy change

𝑚 𝑥 𝑐 𝑥 ∆𝑡 ÷1000 − 25𝑔 𝑥 4.2 𝑥 32 ÷1000

= −134𝑘𝐽 𝑚𝑜𝑙−1
𝑛 0.025

EX2H. Percentage error

𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒖𝒆−𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒖𝒆 −134 +219

𝑬𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒓 = 𝒙 𝟏𝟎𝟎 𝐸𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑟 = 𝑥 100 = 39%
𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒖𝒆 219

Mark Riley Chemistry Lab Exam 3

 Discussion: REFER TO CALCULATIONS OR GRAPHS

25ml of copper(II) sulphate solution containing O.025 moles of copper(II) sulphate was mixed
with 0.061moles(4g) of zinc EX2A. No real care was to be taken in measuring the 4g of zinc as
it is by far the excess reagent. If 1 mole of copper(II) sulphate was used then only one mole of
zinc should be used EX2C because the molar ratio of them in a balanced equation is 1:1 EX2B,
therefore because only 0.025 moles of copper(II) sulphate was used, only 0.025 moles(1.64g)
of zinc is actually needed to be used for a complete reaction EX2E.
The reaction between the zinc and copper(II) sulphate was reasonably fast Graph A causing a
temperature rise of 32°C Table A with the highest temperature being reached within 4
minutes Graph A The energy needed to raise the temperature of 25ml of the solution by 1°c or
K is 3360 Joules EX2F. This energy comes from the difference in the heat content of the
products compared to the reactants. The enthalpy change in this displacement reaction is -
134kJ mol-1 EX2G therefore the reaction was exothermic because heat was given out.
The accepted value for the enthalpy change in this reaction is -219kJ mol-1 which is 39% off
the results achieved through this experiment EX2H. This difference was attributed to the heat
loss to the surroundings during the reaction (proven by extrapolating the trend line back
Graph A), errors or in the measurements (particularly of volume and temperature which was
somewhat caused by limitations in the measuring equipment) and also the concentration of
the copper(II) sulphate solution is assumed not to have been accurately mixed.

Conclusion: Zinc mixed with copper(II) sulphate solution caused an exothermic

reaction. The enthalpy change calculated from the results was different
than the published value which we attributed to some certain and
possible errors. More care needs to be taken to assure solutions are
mixed properly, accuracy of measurements needs to be more precise and
improvements to the vessel must be made in order to achieve results
closer to the published value.

Mark Riley Chemistry Lab Exam 4

 Determining Enthalpy Change
EXPERIMENT 2

Aim: To modify the first experiment in an attempt to increase the accuracy

of results.

Hypothesis: The improvements made to the first experiment will result in a final
enthalpy change that is closer to accepted value.

Equipment: Please see page 6 of the practical manual ATP413 CHEM.2

Procedure: Please see page 6 of the practical manual ATP413 CHEM.2 with the
following modifications

 Insulate the vessel (polystyrene cup) with layers of aluminum foil

 Seal the vessel as best as possible using the lid with a hole to allow
the thermometer access to the solution

 Use a bulb pipette to measure the copper(II) sulphate solution.

Mark Riley Chemistry Lab Exam 5

 Results:

𝒁𝒏(𝒔) + 𝑪𝒖𝑺𝑶𝟒(𝒂𝒒) = 𝑪𝒖(𝒔) + 𝒁𝒏𝑺𝑶𝟒(𝒂𝒒)

Table A Table B

Time Temp
(mins) (°C) Temperature vs Time
0.5 22
60
1 22
1.5 23 55

2 23 50 Series1
Temperature (°C)

2.5 23 45 extrapolation
3
40
3.5 50 Extrapolated
35 Trendline
4 56
30 y = -0.631x + 58.315
4.5 55.5
5 55 25
5.5 54.5 20
6 54.5 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
6.5 54.5 Time (mins)
7 54
7.5 53.5

Mark Riley Chemistry Lab Exam 6

RESULTS / Calculations:

EX2A. Number of moles zinc used

𝑚 4.00
𝑛= = 0.061 𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑠
𝑁 65.37

EX2B. Balanced equation for the reaction.

𝑍𝑛(𝑠) + 𝐶𝑢𝑆𝑂4(𝑎𝑞 ) = 𝐶𝑢(𝑠) + 𝑍𝑛𝑆𝑂4(𝑎𝑞 )

EX2C. Moles of zinc that would react with 1 mole CuSO4

1𝑍𝑛(𝑠) + 1𝐶𝑢𝑆𝑂4(𝑎𝑞) = 1𝑪𝒖(𝒔) + 1𝑍𝑛𝑆𝑂4(𝑎𝑞) ∴ 𝑂𝑛𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑐𝑡

EX2D. The excess reagent

𝑇𝑕𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑕𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑖𝑠 − 𝑍𝑛: 𝐶𝑢𝑆𝑂4 65.4𝑔: 159.6𝑔

𝐶𝑢𝑆𝑂4 − 0.025 𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑥 63.54 + 32.1 + 64 𝑔 = 3.99𝑔

3.99𝑔
𝑍𝑛 − 65.4𝑔 𝑥 159.6𝑔
= 1.64𝑔

EX2E. Number of moles used

1𝑍𝑛(𝑠) : 1𝐶𝑢𝑆𝑂4(𝑎𝑞 ) 𝑒 0.025 𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝐶𝑢𝑆𝑂4 ∴ 0.025 𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑍𝑛

EX2F. 𝑬𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒈𝒚 𝒂𝒃𝒔𝒐𝒓𝒃𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 = 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒙 𝟒. 𝟐 𝒙 ∆𝑻

25 𝑥 4.2𝐽 𝑥 56°𝐶 − 22°𝐶 = 3570 𝐽𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑑

EX2G. Enthalpy change

𝑚 𝑥 𝑐 𝑥 ∆𝑡 ÷1000 − 25𝑔 𝑥 4.2 𝑥 34 ÷1000

= −142𝑘𝐽 𝑚𝑜𝑙−1
𝑛 0.025

EX2H. Percentage error

𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒖𝒆−𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒖𝒆 −134 +219

𝑬𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒓 = 𝒙 𝟏𝟎𝟎 𝐸𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑟 = 𝑥 100 = 35%
𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒖𝒆 219

Mark Riley Chemistry Lab Exam 7

 Discussion: REFER TO CALCULATIONS OR GRAPHS

25ml of copper(II) sulphate solution containing O.025 moles of copper(II) sulphate was again
mixed with 0.061moles(4g) of zinc EX2A but this time the solution was measured using a bulb
pipette instead of a plastic measuring cylinder to improve the accuracy of the measurement.
No efforts were made to improve the accuracy when measuring the 4g of zinc because as
discussed in experiment 1, zinc is by far the excess reagent and only 1.6g is actually needed
EX2D. The vessel which was a polystyrene cup was insulated with layers of aluminum foil to
reduce heat loss to the surroundings. A lid was also placed onto the polystyrene cup to seal the
vessel in a further attempt to contain heat reducing heat loss to the surroundings. Although
these changes did not have a large affect on the overall results, the attempt to contain heat
was somewhat successful as can be seen when comparing Graph A from experiment 1 to
Graph A from experiment 2. Comparing the temperature decrease after the highest
temperature was achieved for both experiments Table A vs Table A proves the effectiveness of
the efforts made to prevent heat loss to the surroundings. More proof of this effectiveness can
be found by comparing the difference between the highest temperature reached to the value
given by extrapolating the trend line back on the graphs for each experiment Graph A Graph A
and comparing the 2 differences (difference is smaller for experiment 2).
The results from the 2nd experiment show a slightly higher temperature change Table A vs
Graph A which resulted in an increased kJ/mol ratio. The percentage error decreased in
comparison to the results from the first experiment EX2G but was still 35% off the published
results EX2H. The explanation for this difference in values remains the same as in the first
experiment even though as explained, changes were made somewhat successfully to this 2nd
experiment to minimize errors.

Conclusion: After accounting for possible errors and making changes in order to maximize
the accuracy, the experiment was repeated and the results showed an enthalpy
change closer to the published value but still significantly lesser. This can be
accounted for by the same reasons as experiment 1.

Mark Riley Chemistry Lab Exam 8