Physical Chemistry I – 1st Scientific Report 2018 1

Physical
Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry Chemistry I
1st Scientific
College of Arts and Sciences Report

Visayas State University

Determination of the Enthalpy of Combustion

of Sucrose Using Bomb Calorimetry
Alzar Alaysa B. Aure*
Visca, Baybay City, Leyte, Philippines

Abstract

A virtual bomb calorimeter was used in this experiment. The calorimeter constant was determined to be -10.90 kJ/K using
benzoic acid as standard. The enthalpy of combustion of sucrose was calculated to be -5,642.047 kJ/mol with a slight 0.19%
error in comparison to the literature value of -5,643 kJ/mol. A reverse calculation was carried out using the known enthalpy of
combustion of β-D-Fructose to determine the desired temperature difference (ΔT) which was 5.19 K.

© 2018 Elsevier Science. All rights reserved

Keywords: Bomb calorimeter; Enthalpy of combustion; Sucrose

1. Introduction enthalpies of combustion and formation from

Calorimetry is an important field of analytical
chemistry which deals accurately measuring heats of
reaction and finds application in fields ranging from
nutritional analysis to explosive yield tests. The need
for increasingly accurate reference measurements and
the limited effects of experimental technique mean
that more advanced instrumentation is often the
single best way to improve calorimetric accuracy in
precision.
There are several types of calorimeters, one
of which is the bomb calorimeter. Bomb combustion
calorimetry in oxygen is the most widely used
method to obtain enthalpies of formation of solid and
liquid organic compounds. In order to derive
*
Corresponding author. Tel.: +639159690240 ; e-mail:aure.alzar1997@gmail.com.
combustion calorimetric measurements, the reactants
and products, and their states, must be rigorously
defined. Heats of combustion as determined in an
oxygen bomb calorimeter are measured by a
substitution procedure in which the heat obtained
from the sample is compared with the heat obtained
from combustion of a similar amount of benzoic acid
or other standardizing material whose calorific value
is known. The calorific value is the total energy
released as heat when a substance undergoes
complete combustion with oxygen under standard
conditions. The chemical reaction is typically a
hydrocarbon or other organic molecule reacting with
the oxygen to form carbon dioxide and water and
release heat. The calorimeter holds a metal, thick-
2 Physical Chemistry I – 1st Scientific Report 2018
walled container, which is the bomb. Since the bomb
is made from stainless steel, the combustion reaction
occurs at constant volume and there is no work. Thus,
the change in internal energy, ΔU, for the calorimeter
is zero. The heat energy measured in a bomb
calorimeter may be expressed either as calories (cal),
British thermal units (Btu) or Joules (j).
Understanding the enthalpy of combustion of a
certain compound or thing will help us gain
knowledge and visualize the interactions
thermodynamically between the system, its
surroundings and the universe itself.
2. Theoretical Framework
2.1. Internal energy change
Since the calorimeter is isolated from the rest of
the universe , we can define the reactants (sample and
oxygen) to be the system and the rest of the
calorimeter ( bomb and water) to be the surroundings.
The change in internal energy of the reactants upon
combustion can be calculated from
Since the process of constant volume,
Thus, recognizing the
definition of heat capacity
yields.
Assuming to be independent of T over small
temperature ranges, this expression can be integrated
to give
Where is the heat capacity of the surroundings,
i.e., the water and the bomb.
2.2. Enthalpy change
By definition of enthalpy
Since there is very little expansion work done by
condensed phases, D(pV) » 0 for solids and
liquids. Assuming the gas to be ideal yields
Where R is the gas constant (8.31 J mol−1 K−1 ).
The term denoted by small can be neglected when
changes in temperature are small (couple of ◦C). Note
that ngas can be either positive (the amount of gaseous
components increase) or negative (the amount of
gaseous components decrease). Also the contribution
of liquids and solids to the ∆PV ) – term is negligible.
2.3. Bomb Calorimeter
.
Four essential parts are required in any bomb
calorimeter:
 A bomb or vessel in which the combustible
charges can be burned
 A bucket or container for holding the bomb
in a measured quantity of water, together
with a stirring mechanism
 Physical Chemistry I – 1st Scientific Report 2018
 An electrical wire that reacts with oxygen to
ignite the sample
 A thermometer or other sensor for
measuring temperature changes within the
bucket.
The bomb must be a strong, thick-walled metal
vessel which can be opened for inserting the sample,
for removing the products of combustion and for
cleaning. Valves must be provided for filling the
bomb with oxygen under pressure and for releasing
residual gases at the conclusion of a test. Electrodes
to carry an ignition current to a fuse wire are also
required. Since an internal pressure up to 1500 psig
can be developed during combustion, most oxygen
bombs are constructed to withstand pressures of at
least 3000 psig.
In the moist, high-pressure oxygen environment
within a bomb, nitrogen present will be oxidized to
nitric acid, sulfur present will be oxidized to sulfuric
acid, and chlorine present will be released as a
mixture of chlorine and hydrochloric acid. These
acids combine with the residual high temperature
oxygen to form a corrosive vapor which will etch
ordinary metals. Therefore the bomb must be made of
materials which will not be attacked by these
combustion products.
3. Methodology
The calorimeter constant holds a metal, thick-
walled container, which is the bomb. The bomb holds
the sample to be burned, which will first be benzoic
acid then sucrose, in a metal crucible. A small length
of wire, about 10 cm, feeds through and is in direct
contact with the sample. An electric current is passed
through the wire, heating it rapidly, thus initiating
combustion. The bomb must then be sealed tightly
and filled with pure oxygen at 25-30 atm. It is
important to fill and vent the oxygen a couple of
times first to flush out any atmospheric nitrogen, then
fill a third time without venting to pressurize the
bomb. The bomb is then ready to be placed in the
calorimeter. Water is poured into the calorimeter,
completely submerging the bomb, and must
3
constantly be stirred to help ensure a uniform
temperature throughout the bath, which itself is
isolated from the surroundings.
Equipped with a thermometer, the temperature is
measured before combustion for 10 minutes, once the
bomb has been fired for approximately 10 minutes,
and after the sample has been combusted. For speedy
and complete combustion of the sample, the system is
connected electrically and a current is passed through
the wire. The temperature then rises rather quickly
and the sample is ignited, during which, the wire may
also be mostly or completely burned. The walls of the
bomb are made of thick alloy metal to make certain
that combustion takes place at constant volume. We
are therefore primarily concerned with the change in
internal energy, U. When this internal energy is
released from the sample being combusted, it will be
maintained in the water bath and the walls of the
bomb due to the fact that the system is adiabatic as
the apparatus is thermally insulated. Finally, by
measuring the rise in temperature and the heat
capacity of the calorimeter via the calibration run, it
is possible to measure the internal energy released by
the reaction.
4. Results and Discussion
Table 1. Calculated parameters using virtual lab
results
Parameters Results
Calorimeter constant (Cv) -10.902 kJ/K
Molar total energy (ΔUm) -5,642.047 kJ/mol
Molar enthalpy of -5,642.047 kJ/mol
combustion (ΔHm)
As seen on table 1, Molar total energy (ΔUm) and
Molar enthalpy of combustion (ΔHm) have the same
value of -5,642.047 kJ/mol, this is due to the fact that
there is an equal amount of consumed and released
gases involving in the combustion reaction as seen
below
C12H22O11 (s) + 12 O2 (g)  12 CO2 (g) + 11 H2O (l)
4 Physical Chemistry I – 1st Scientific Report 2018
The negative values of the results suggest that energy
has been released in the process, i.e. an exothermic
reaction which is common for any combustion
reactions. The energy released will be absorbed by
the water (increasing its temperature) and the surface
of the metallic bucket.
The literature value of the enthalpy of combustion
of sucrose is -5,643 kJ/mol. The experimental result
has a slight 0.19% error in comparison to the
literature value reflecting the accuracy of the
conducted experiment (virtual).
4.1. Reverse computation
The chosen organic compound was β-D-Fructose
with a known enthalpy of combustion of -2,810.40
kJ/mol. The desired temperature difference (ΔT) for
this combustion reaction was calculated to be 5.19 K.
5. Conclusion
The calorimetric constant (Cv) was calculated to
be -10.902 kJ/K. The enthalpy of combustion of
sucrose was calculated (using virtual lab results) to
be -5,642.047 kJ/mol with a slight 0.19% error in
comparison to -5,643kJ/mol literature value. The ΔT
from the reverse computation of the enthalpy of β-D-
Fructose(-2,810.40 kJ/mol) was calculated to be
5.19K. The negative value of enthalpy indicates that
the combusted sucrose releases energy to its
surrounding (water and metal bucket) which is true
for a combustion reaction.
6. References
[1] G. Bertran. Bomb Calorimeter – A Simulated
Experiment (virtual lab)
http://web.mst.edu/~gbert/cal/bomb/Acal.html
[2] V. Fall. Physical Chemistry Lab Report Rubric
(2012)