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Introduction
Chemical and physical processes are often accompanied by either evolution or absorption of heat. The
heat involved in these processes can be measured using the device called calorimeter. A calorimeter is
composed of an insulated container, a thermometer, and a stirrer. The calorimeter is filled with water
which acts as a heat source or sink. The change in the temperature of the water is related to the amount
of heat absorbed or released by the system.
Let’s consider the process being studied, the calorimeter, and the water inside as the system. This makes
the system to be classified as adiabatic. A system is adiabatic when heat is not lost to its surroundings, i.e.
anything outside the calorimeter. This means to say that heat exchange only happens between the
process being studied, the calorimeter, and the water inside.
Because the calorimeter is made of insulating materials, we can assume that the heat absorbed or
released by the calorimeter is negligible, that is, q cal ≈ 0. This simplifies Eqn. 2 to Eqn. 3.
Suppose the process being studied is the cooling or heating of a metal, then we can say write q process as
qmetal and we can calculate the heat involved using Eqn. 4.
Where mmetal is the mass of the metal, cmetal is the specific heat of the metal, and ΔTmetal is the difference
in the final and initial temperature of the metal.
Likewise, we can calculate the heat gained or released by the water using an equation similar to Eqn.
4.
Where mwater is the mass of the water, cwater is the specific heat of water which is 4.184 J/goC, and ΔTwater
is the difference in the final and initial temperature of water.
By using Eqn. 6, one can determine the specific heat of any metal through calorimetry.
When a compound dissolves in water, it can either release or absorb heat. The heat involved in this
process is called heat of solution, qsoln. The heat of solution can also be measured through calorimetry.
By dividing qsoln with the moles of compound dissolved in water, one can get the molar heat of solution,
ΔHsoln.
Procedure
Part I: Determination of Specific Heat Capacity of Copper
Waste Disposal
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