Experiment One: Specific Heat of Metal PDF

# Experiment One ## The Specific Heat of Metal ### Introduction: Calorimetry is the measure of heat flow into or out of a system) The heat flow is measured in a device called a calorimeter. An ideal calorimeter would insulate the substance in the calorimeter so well that no heat would be lost to t...

# Experiment One ## The Specific Heat of Metal ### Introduction: Calorimetry is the measure of heat flow into or out of a system) The heat flow is measured in a device called a calorimeter. An ideal calorimeter would insulate the substance in the calorimeter so well that no heat would be lost to the surroundings. When heat flows into or out of a substance, its temperature changes. The amount of heat energy that is required to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance by one degree Celsius is called the specific heat capacity of that substance. Water, for instance, has a specific heat capacity of 4.184 J/g.°C. To determine the exact amount of heat (q) that flows, we need to know the temperature change in the substance (ΔT), the mass of the substance (m), and the specific heat capacity (s) of the substance. The mathematical relationship relating the three quantities above is: $q= m \times s \times \Delta T$ In this experiment, you will determine the specific heat of a metal. A heated sample of this metal will be poured into a polystyrene coffee cup calorimeter consisting of cool water contained in a plastic foam cup. Shortly after mixing, the water and the metal will have come to the same temperature. Because plastic foam is a good insulator, heat cannot easily escape from the calorimeter to the surroundings. Therefore, the heat lost by the metal can be said to be equal to the heat gained by the water. The amount of heat energy the water gains will be calculated as follows. heat gainedwater = specific heat water × masswater × ΔTwater The heat lost by the metal is given by a similar equation. heat lostmetal = specific heatmetal × massmetal × ΔTmetal Because the heat gained must equal the heat lost, a third equation can be written. qmetal = qwater specific heatwater × masswater × ΔTwater = specific heatmetal × massmetal × ΔTmetal *(Note: The negative sign in the equation accounts for the fact that metal decreases in temperature and the water increases in temperature; i.e., an exchange of heat.)* The specific heat of water is known. The temperature changes of the water, and of the metal, can be measured, as can the mass of the water and the mass of the metal. Using this data, the