Specific Heat Capacity

PRE-LAB ASSIGNMENTS:
To be assigned by your lab instructor.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:
The First Law of Thermodynamics
Thermal energy as a function of temperature
The units of energy
Sign conventions in heat flow
Heat capacity
Specific heat capacity
Factors in experimental error
EXPERIMENTAL GOALS:
You will measure the specific heat capacity of a known metal. Then you will measure the
specific heat capacity of an unknown to identify the metal.
INTRODUCTION:
Heat Capacity
large part of chemistry is studying and understanding the physical and chemical
changes that matter undergoes. The driving force for most chemical and physical changes is
energy! often in the form of thermal energy "heat#. Temperature and heat are not the same
$uantity. The temperature of an ob%ect is an indicator of the amount of thermal energy it
&possesses'! but heat is a measure of the transfer of energy to or from an ob%ect. (e know that
the more a substance is heated! the more its temperature will rise. This relationship is a direct
proportionality that may be expressed as
T q
! where $ is the heat absorbed or released by the
system and )T is its temperature change ")T *Tfinal + Tinitial#. This proportionality may be also be
written as an e$uality!
constant =
T
q
or
T q = constant
,-.
The constant of proportionality is the heat capacity! C! and is defined as the $uantity of heat
re$uired to change an ob%ect/s temperature by one unit of temperature "usually -
o
0 or - 1#.
Hence we can rewrite 2$uation - as
T C q =
,3.
45
6t follows that heat capacity has units related to
e temperatur
energy
and is commonly expressed as
C
J
o
"also written as 7890 or 7 90
:-
#.
The heat capacity of a system is dependent on a few factors. The heat capacity is
dependent on the amount of a sample present as shown in Figure -! and is thus an extensive
property; a larger amount of sample re$uires more heat than a smaller amount of the same
substance to raise the substance/s temperature by one unit. 6n addition to the amount of
substance present! the kind of substance has a direct bearing on its heat capacity. The same
amounts of different substances usually have different heat capacities! and heat capacity is often
used for samples of a fixed si<e. 6t would be more convenient if the heat capacity depended only
on the type of material! and not the amount of material. 6f heat capacity were an intensive
property! independent of the amount of substance! it could be used as an analytical tool to
identify a substance! much like density.
Fi!"e #$ Heat re$uired for -
o
0 change in temperature showing dependence
of heat capacity! C! on amount of substance.
Specific Heat Capacity
6n order to overcome the fact that heap capacity varies with the amount of a substance!
chemists often use the %pecific heat capacity! C%! also known as the specific heat. The specific
heat capacity of a substance is defined as the amount of heat re$uired to raise the temperature of
- gram of the substance by -
o
0 "see Figure 3#.
=.->= 7
- g H
3
?
33.@0
35.@0
4=
100 g 200 g
C * $ C' * 3$
Fi!"e &$ Specific heat capacity.
4A
The relationship between the thermal energy and specific heat capacity may be expressed as
T C m q
s
=
,5.
2$uation 5 is similar to 2$uation 3 with the additional parameter of mass! m. The heat capacity!
C! of a given sample may be converted to its specific heat capacity! Cs! by dividing the mass of
the sample into C to give
g 3@@
B
g -@@
C C
C
s
= =
Cy accounting for the amount of substance! the specific heat capacity depends only on the kind
of substance and is therefore an intensive property. This $uantity has units related to
e temperatur mass
energy

. The units of specific heat are commonly expressed as

C g
J
o

"also written
as 78gD90 or 7 g
:-
90
:-
#.
6n this laboratory! a calorimeter is used to measure the specific heat of various known
metals. calorimeter is an apparatus used to measure the heat released or absorbed by a
physical or chemical process. The calorimeter used here is composed of a pair of stacked
Styrofoam coffee:cups with a lid "see Figure 5 in the Erocedure section#. The lid has two holes!
one for a thermometer and the other for a stirring wire! and helps minimi<e heat loss to the
atmosphere. 6n addition to measuring the specific heat of a known metal! an unknown metal will
be identified based on the determination of its specific heat capacity.
The specific heat can be determined by immersing a known mass of warm metal of a
known temperature into a known volume of water! at a known! lower temperature. Heat energy
will flow from the hot metal to the water until! after a period of time! the water and metal achieve
the same temperature. From the First Law of Thermodynamics! the sum of the heat lost by the
metal and the heat gained by the water in a perfect experiment is $metal F $water * @! which we can
rearrange as
$metal * :$water ,=.
The negative sign in 2$uation = comes about because of the )T term "see 2$uation 5#. The final
temperature of the metal is lower than the initial temperature! and the resulting value of $metal will
be negative. Cy convention! the flow of heat out of a body is a negative $uantity.
n ideal calorimeter would provide perfect insulation so that its contents! the system!
could undergo its temperature change without any loss or gain of heat to the surroundings or to
the calorimeter itself. Such a calorimeter does not exist. 6nstead! we must build an apparatus
that gains "or loses# a minimum amount of heat energy itself while also minimi<ing the flow of
heat into or out of the Gniverse. 2xperimentally! the total heat gained by the water that we
measure will not be the actual heat lost by the metal since the apparatus will gain some of the
heat as well as permit some leakage to the atmosphere. 6n this experiment! the heat lost by
leakage to the atmosphere will be ignored! since the Styrofoam calorimeter is a reasonably good
4H
insulator. However! the heat lost by the system to the calorimeter is small! but not negligible!
and it must be considered. (ith this correction! 2$uation = becomes
$metal * :"$water F $cal# ,A.
To determine calorimeter! the heat capacity of the calorimeter! Ccal! must first be determined. (ith
Ccal! the heat absorbed by the calorimeter may be accounted for in the determination of the
specific heat of a metal. The determination of Ccal is called the calibration of the calorimeter.
To calibrate the calorimeter! warm water of a known mass and temperature is mixed with
a known mass and temperature of cooler water in the apparatus. 6n an ideal apparatus! the heat
gained by the cooler water would exactly e$ual the heat lost by the warmer water. However! in
the real world! the heat lost by the warm water will be e$ual to the heat gained by the cooler
water plus heat lost to the calorimeter!
$lost by hot * :"$gained by cold F $cal# ,H.
Iearrangement yields
$cal * :"$lost by hot F $gained by cold# ,J.
which can be used to determine the heat capacity of the calorimeter.
6n this experiment! the actual calibration of the calorimeter will not be performed.
6nstead the Ccal is given as >.5H 78
o
0. (ith this value of Ccal for the coffee:cup calorimeter!
2$uations 5 and A may be used to determine the specific heat of a metal. Table - lists the
specific heat capacities of various metals.
Ta'(e #$ Specific heat capacities of various metals.
Meta(
Specific Heat
Capacity) Cs
*+,-
.
C/ Meta(
Specific Heat
Capacity) Cs
*+,-
.
C/
Lead @.-34 0obalt @.=3-
Kold @.-34 Lickel @.===
Tungsten @.-53 6ron @.==4
Elatinum @.-55 0hromium @.=A@
Leodymium @.-4- Manganese @.=J4
Tin @.33> Titanium @.A33
Silver @.35A Eotassium @.JAJ
Strontium @.5@H luminum @.>4J
0opper @.5>A Magnesium -.@3
Ninc @.5>> Sodium -.35
4J
SAMPLE CALCULATION OF THE CALIBRATION OF A CALORIMETER:
(ater with a mass of A@.@ g at >@.-
o
0 was added to A@.@ g of water at 3J.3
o
0. Gpon mixing!
the final temperature attained was A-.4
o
0. (hat is the heat capacity of the calorimeter! CcalO
"Lote; This example calculates the heat capacity of the calorimeter! whereas in the laboratory
you will need to calculate the specific heat of the metal. The calculations are similar! but the
distinction needs to be recogni<ed.#
Heat lost by warm water;
$lost * "A@.@ g#D"=.-> 78gD
o
0#D"A-.4
o
0 + >@.-
o
0# * :A>4@ 7
Heat gained by cool water;
$gained * "A@.@ g#D"=.-> 78gD
o
0#D"A-.4
o
0 + 3J.3
o
0# * A-H@ 7
Heat absorbed by calorimeter;
$cal * :":A>4@ 7 F A-H@ 7# * J5@ 7
Heat capacity of calorimeter;
( )
=

=
0 3 . 3J 0 4 . A-
7 J5@

cal
C
34 78
o
0
PROCEDURE:
A$ Mea%!"e the Cs .f a 01.21 Sa3p(e$
-. ?btain two nested coffee:cups. Nero the balance and weigh the empty! dry cups to the
nearest milligram. dd approximately A@ mL of water to the cups and determine the mass of
water by difference. ssemble the coffee:cup calorimeter as shown in Figure 5. First! insert
the thermometer into the split stopper! and slide the stopper toward the top of the
thermometer. Lext! slide the thermometer into the center hole of the calorimeter lid. Elace
the ring stand clamp on the stopper! and ad%ust the clamp on the ring stand to where it will
hold the thermometer bulb about - cm from the bottom of the cup. Finally! insert the stirrer
in the second hole of the lid with the loop encircling the bulb of the thermometer. (ait
approximately A minutes before recording the temperature of the water to the nearest @.-
o
0.
3. Measure the mass of a weighing boat! add approximately 5@ g of a known sample of metal!
and obtain the mass of the metal by difference. "The metals used should be large pieces of
metalP metal shot and foil don/t work very well.# Transfer the sample into an appropriately
si<ed test tube! ensuring that no sample is lost.
5. 6t is recommended that a trial run be performed in con%unction with your partner before data
is actually recorded for steps = and A. You actions need to be swift and accurate to ensure
$uality data "and resultsQ#! but safety cannot be compromised. Take the time to familiari<e
yourself the procedure and determine the best way to execute it.
4>
=. To a 3A@:mL beaker! add approximately
-A@ mL of water and bring to a rolling "but
not violentQ# boil. ?nce the water is
boiling! immerse the test tube containing
the metal into the water using a clamp to
support the test tube. fter R-@ minutes in
the boiling water! the sample inside the test
tube and the boiling water should be at the
same temperature. Iecord the temperature
of the water to the nearest @.-
o
0. Transfer
the thermometer to the calorimeter! and
allow it to come to the same temperature
that was recorded earlier.
A. Quickly transfer the hot metal in the test
tube to the calorimeter containing the water.
Take care to not splash any water out of the
calorimeter! 6mmediately replace the lid!
thermometer and stir wire! and record the
temperature at time <ero. Kently stir the
water with the wire and record the
temperature in -A second intervals until the
temperature decreases for at least five measurements. This may take a few minutes. 6t is
extremely important that the water be constantly stirred throughout the experiment. Finally!
record when the temperature is at a maximum! which will be immediately before the
temperature begins to descend.
H. Iepeats steps -:A! to determine if you obtain the same value for the specific heat of the
known metal. Ieturn your metal sample to the waste container provided.
J. Gsing your data! compute the specific heat capacity! Cs! of the known sample. lso report
the percent error from the value listed in Table -. The specific of water! Cs!water ! is =.-> 78gS0!
and the heat capacity of the calorimeter! Ccal! is >.5H 78
o
0.
:qmetal * qwater F qcal
:"Cs!metal T mmetal T Tmetal# * "Cs!water T mwater T Twater# F "Ccal T Tcal#
T * Tf : Ti
-@@
value true
value# true : e "your valu
error U =
B$ Mea%!"e the Cs .f a1 U141.21 Sa3p(e$
>. Gse the same procedure for determining the specific heat of a known sample to determine the
specific heat of an unknown sample. Ce sure to indicate which unknown you have.
44
3 nested
Styrofoam cups
clamp
thermometer
lid
stirrer
split stopper
Fi!"e 5$ The coffee:cup calorimeter setup
LAB REPORT
Specific Heat Capacity
Lame VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV Wate VVVVVVVVV Ieport Krade VVVVVV
Eartner VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV Section VVVVVVVVV
A$ Specific Heat .f a 01.21 Meta($
-. Mass of the coffee:cups VVVVVVVVVVVV
Mass of the cups F water VVVVVVVVVVVV
Mass of the water VVVVVVVVVVVV
Temperature of cool water VVVVVVVVVVVV
3. 6dentity of metal sample VVVVVVVVVVVV
Mass of metal sample VVVVVVVVVVVV
Temperature of boiling water VVVVVVVVVVVV
5. Time vs. temperature data + first run;
Time
"sec#
Temperature
"90#
Time
"sec#
Temperature
"90#
Time
"sec#
Temperature
"90#
@ -@A 3-@
-A -3@ 33A
5@ -5A 3=@
=A -A@ 3AA
H@ -HA 3J@
JA ->@ 3>A
4@ -4A 5@@
Maximum System Temperature "Tf# VVVVVVVVVVVV
=. 0alculate the specific heat of the known and percent error . Show workQ
Cs = VVVVVVVVVV 78gD
o
0 U error * VVVVVVVVVVVV
-@@
A. Mass of the coffee:cups VVVVVVVVVVVV
Mass of the cups F water VVVVVVVVVVVV
Mass of the water VVVVVVVVVVVV
Temperature of cool water VVVVVVVVVVVV
H. 6dentity of metal sample VVVVVVVVVVVV
Mass of metal sample VVVVVVVVVVVV
Temperature of boiling water VVVVVVVVVVVV
J. Time vs. temperature data + second run;
Time
"sec#
Temperature
"90#
Time
"sec#
Temperature
"90#
Time
"sec#
Temperature
"90#
@ -@A 3-@
-A -3@ 33A
5@ -5A 3=@
=A -A@ 3AA
H@ -HA 3J@
JA ->@ 3>A
4@ -4A 5@@
Maximum System Temperature "Tf# VVVVVVVVVVVV
>. 0alculate the specific heat of the known and percent error . Show workQ
Cs = VVVVVVVVVV 78gD
o
0 U error * VVVVVVVVVVVV
4. verage specific heat of the known and percent error .
Cs = VVVVVVVVVV 78gD
o
0 U error * VVVVVVVVVVVV
-@-
B$ Specific Heat .f a1 U141.21 Meta($
-. Gnknown Lumber VVVVVVVVVVVV
Mass of the coffee:cups VVVVVVVVVVVV
Mass of the cups F water VVVVVVVVVVVV
Mass of the cool water VVVVVVVVVVVV
Temperature of water VVVVVVVVVVVV
3. Mass of unknown VVVVVVVVVVVV
Temperature of boiling water VVVVVVVVVVVV
5. Time vs. temperature data;
Time
"sec#
Temperature
"90#
Time
"sec#
Temperature
"90#
Time
"sec#
Temperature
"90#
@ -@A 3-@
-A -3@ 33A
5@ -5A 3=@
=A -A@ 3AA
H@ -HA 3J@
JA ->@ 3>A
4@ -4A 5@@
Maximum System Temperature "Tf# VVVVVVVVVVVV
=. 0alculate the specific heat of the unknown and identify it. Show workQ
Cs = VVVVVVVVVV 78gD
o
0 6dentity * VVVVVVVVVVVV
-@3
-@5