NAME: Evan Pfeifer

DATE: 8/10/2016
Chemical Thermodynamics: Determination of the Entropy
Change for a Reaction
INTRODUCTION/GOALS OF EXPERIMENT
The goal of this experiment is to determine K, which then allows
students to find the enthalpy change, or H, of each reaction. This lab
demonstrates the values of G, H, and S, which are free energy, enthalpy, and
entropy respectively. These values fit into the Gibbs free energy equation,
which is what students use to determine S. These values also correspond to
spontaneity and the thermodynamic of each reaction.

RESULTS
Label all axes (including units) in your graphs. The graphs in your
report must contain the two best-fit lines, and a sample calculation as
to how Tinitial and Tfinal were calculated.

Part 1

NaNO3

Urea

Mass (g)

2.617 g

2.301 g

Volume (mL)

6.500 mL

5.000 mL

Molar Mass (g/mol)

85.00 g/mol

60.00 g/mol

Concentration (M)

4.737 M

7.670 M

22.44

7.670 M

Part 2

NaNO3

Urea

Mass (g)

2.660 g

1.804 g

Volume (mL)

30.00 mL

30.00 mL

2.960 C

2.162 C

Concentration

1.000 M

1.000 M

Qcalorimeter

371.5

271.4

H (J)

-371.5 J

-271.4 J

S (J/K)

-151.4 J/K

-109.5 J/K

G (J/mol)

76.56 J/mol

-34.90/mol

Temperature vs Time for NaNO3 (Trial 2)

25
24

f(x) = - 0x + 24.44

23

Temperature (C)

22
21

f(x) = - 0.01x + 21.48

20
19
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Time (sec)

Temperature vs Time for Urea (Trial 2)

25.5
25

f(x) = 0.01x + 25.09

24.5
24

Temperature (C)

23.5
23
22.5

f(x) = - 0.01x + 22.92

22
21.5
21

10

20

30

Time (sec)

Calculations:

40

50

60

[ Na NO 3 ]=mol /L
2

[ Na NO 3 ] =K

2.617 g
/0.006500 L
85.00 g
(4.737)2=K

[ Na NO 3 ]=4.737 M
22.44=K

Note: urea does not dissociate into two molecules like Na NO 3 , so its value
is not squared
T =T finalT initial

T =24.44 21.48

Qcalorimeter=c x m x T
Qcalorimeter=Qreaction
G=RTlnK
G= HT S

T =2.960

Q=4.184 gx x 30.00 mL x2.960

Qreaction = H

Qcalorimeter= H

G=8.314 x2.960 x ln ( 22.44 )

S=

G H
T

S=

Q=371.5
H=371.5

G=76.56

76.56+371.5
2.960

S=151.4

DISCUSSION

Identify the reaction as either exothermic or endothermic. Was this

the expected result?
The reaction was endothermic because the value for H
was negative, which means energy was consumed and therefore
heat as well. In lab, the solution was cold so I expected it to be
endothermic.

From the value of K, is the reaction spontaneous or nonspontaneous? Explain your conclusion.
Nonspontaneous, because S was a negative number for
both reactions. A negative number means that entropy
decreased and the system became more organized, which is a
nonspontaneous process.

From the value of S, was entropy (disorder) gained or lost during

this dissolving reaction? Is that what you expected?
S is negative for both reactions, so entropy was lost,
which suggests an exothermic process because heat would
escape the system. Initially I expected it to be endothermic
because the solution was cold in the lab and the calorimeter
recorded a heat loss.

If you carried out this reaction at 50C instead of room temperature,

which of the parameters (K, S, or H) would change significantly,
and in what direction (larger, smaller)? Explain your answers.
S and H would both be affected because temperature is
a part of the equation. S would be much smaller because the

temperature value is in the denominator and would affect the

results more, while H would be only slightly smaller because
temperature is subtracted in the rearranged equation.

CONCLUSION
The value of K is 22.44 for NaNO3 and 7.670 for urea. The value of
H/enthalpy is -371.5 J for NaNO3 and -271.4 J for urea. The values of H are
negative for both, which suggests that the reaction was exothermic. The
negative S values suggests that the reaction is endothermic because
entropy was lost, and therefore the system became more organized.
A possible error might be the impurity of chemicals used. Also, the
urea and NaNO3 solids were often left with their caps off and shared the
same spatula. It is possible that there might have been some cross
contamination or that their exposure to oxygen could have interfered with
their purity, which could have affected the temperature changes or solubility
during the experiment.