THE VAPORISATION HEAT - TROUTONS RULE

Theoretical aspects
The latent vaporization heat of a liquid is the quantity of heat necessary for the
transformation of a unit mass of the substance studied from liquid into gaseous phase, at
constant pressure and temperature. In general, the working conditions used for the
determination of the latent vaporization heat are: normal pressure and temperature equal
to the boiling point of the substance.
The latent vaporization heat can be determined directly using a calorimetric method .Very
precise calorimetric methods are very complicated. The calorimeter can be modified such
that the working procedure is more accessible and precise enough. In order to determine
the latent vaporization heat, the liquid is introduced in a thermally isolated vase. It is then
heated until it evaporates, consuming a quantity of heat which we can measure. The
resulted vapors are condensed and measured directly.
He value of the latent vaporization heat being determined, we can calculate certain
physico-chemical quantities characteristic to the liquid. Such an example is the
ebulioscopique constant of the liquid (the rise of the boiling point produced by the
dissolution of o gram-molecule of substance in 1000g of solvent), which can be
computed using the following equation:
Ke

R T 2
1000 lV

, where: K e - the ebulioscopique constant

T - Boiling point (C)

lV - Latent vaporization heat
In order to determine the molar vaporization heat, VH, of certain liquids, at T equal to
the boiling point and at normal pressure we use Troutons Rule. This rule expresses the
direct proportionality between the molar vaporization heat of a substance and its boiling
point:
V H
21.5
Tf

The proportionality factor is approximately equal to 21.5 for the majority of liquids and is
called Troutons constant. For the substances with very small boiling points the constant
has smaller values and when the boiling point of the substance is high it s corresponding
Troutons constant will be higher too. The rule is best applicable for liquids having a
boiling point between 0-200C. But even in these cases there are certain specific
deviations from which we can obtain information about the molecular state of substances.
If the substance is associated both in liquid and in gaseous phase, Troutons constant has
smaller values because the molar vaporization heat computed using the simple molar
mass is too small (example: formic acid-14.8, acetic acid-14.9).On the contrary, if the
substance is associated only in liquid phase the vaporization heat will contain also the
energy necessary for the breaking of the associated molecules and Troutens constant will
have a higher value (example: ammonia - 23.4, alcohol - 27.2).

Laboratory set-up
1

The necessary equipment is composed of a thermally isolated container ( V=800 cm3),

closed with an ebonite lid. This lid is endowed with a filet, through which the heating
device of 20-50W (Vartak) and the thermometer are connected. This vase is connected to
a refrigerant. We also need a chronometer, a source of continuous electric current,
voltmeter, ampermeter, a 500 ml graduated cylinder and a 25 ml graduated cylinder.

Condenser

Adiabatic container

Vartak
Cyllinder
Voltmeter
Ampermeter

Working procedure
Firstly, we empty by sifonation the thermally isolated vassel. Then we fill it with 1l of
distilled water. We connect the voltmeter and ampermeter to the vartak. We start
progressively the distillation. After collecting approximately 5ml of distilled product and
the thermal equilibrium was reached we start to collect the sample. In the same moment
we turn on the chronometer. The intensity is read when we collected approximately half
of the expected volume of distilled product. When the volume of the distilled product
reaches the expected volume we stop the chronometer. We repeat this operation for
different tensions ( 70V, 80V, 90V) when the corresponding necessary volumes of
distilled product are:6, 7 and respectively 8 ml.
Attention!!!
The values of the intensity shouldnt be larger than 2.5A
The installation should be emptied after performing the experiment
smaller than the real one.