NAZARETH SCHOOL OF NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

MANILA

Grade 12 General Physics 2

SY 2018-2019

Laboratory Experiment no. 4.1

Calorimetry: Measuring Specific Heat
CN NAMES
22 Abarquez, Asha – Materials, Objectives Date of Activity 2/18/2019
28 Indefenzo, Esmeralda – Schematic Diagram Time Started 12:45 pm
32 Navarro, Janella – Analysis, Going Further Time Finished 2:45 pm
35 Saleh, Mahden – Results
16 Salvador, Patrick – Conclusion

I. OBJECTIVES
1. To demonstrate the use of a simple calorimeter;
2. To calculate the specific heat of different materials;
3. To identify the composition of different materials based on its specific heat capacity;
4. To compare the calculated specific heat of materials to that of the standard value.

II. MATERIALS
 Improvised calorimeter
 Celsius thermometer
 Beaker
 Triple beam balance
 String
 Metals
III. SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM

Fill a beaker about half full of water.

Place on the hot plate and start boiling
PROCEDURE 1 the water.

Measure the mass of the given metal,

mh. Record all data in Table 1.
PROCEDURE 2

Attach a string to the metal and lower it into

the hot water. The metal should be completely
submerged under the water. Allow the metal to
PROCEDURE 3 sit in the water throughout the boiling process
and for 5 minutes while the water is boiling.
With the metal being in the boiling water with
this much time, we will assume that the
temperature of the metal is the same as that of
the boiling water. While this is going on,
proceed to the next step.

PROCEDURE 4 Measure the mass of the empty

calorimeter.

Fill the calorimeter cup about half full of

cold water. Measure the mass of the
calorimeter and the water. Subtract the
PROCEDURE 5
mass of the calorimeter to obtain the mass
of the cold water, mc.
 Measure
Measure the
the initial
initial temperature ofthe
temperature of the
PROCEDURE 6
water, TTi,c.
cold water,

Measure the temperature of the boiling

PROCEDURE 7
water. This is equal to the initial
temperature of the hot metal, Ti,h

Using the string, pull the metal out of

PROCEDURE 8 the boiling water and carefully
transfer it to the calorimeter cup
containing the cold water.

Stir the cold water and watch as the

temperature of the cold water rises.
PROCEDURE 9 When it reaches its highest value (i.e., it
stops increasing), read this temperature
and record it as Tf.

Repeat the above procedure for a

different metal
PROCEDURE 10
IV. RESULTS
--DITO IINSERT—

V. GUIDE QUESTIONS WITH ANSWER

1. Why should you stir the water after putting the hot metal in the calorimeter?
You should stir the water for heat to be distributed evenly and to have an accurate reading. It
enables other materials inside the calorimeter to absorb heat.

2. What method of heat transfer was used in heating the metal? Justify your answer.
The method of heat transfer that was used in heating the metal was conduction. In conduction, heat
is transferred from one particle to another particle from higher level to low level.

3. State possible sources of errors in calculating the specific capacity of the materials. If possible,
state ways to minimize the error.
Possible sources of errors:
 incorrect procedure
 incorrect substitution
 wrong placement of data
In order to avoid these errors, you must first read the procedure carefully. You also must be careful
in putting the data in the table. Lastly, you must ensure that you are substituting the correct data in the
given formula.

4. Explain how you were able to determine the composition of the materials used in the experiment.
We were able to determine the composition of the materials by first solving for the specific heat of
the metal. Then, we looked for its match/closest value to it on the table of specific heat of substances, and
then writing down the corresponding composition of the metal.

5. Describe the relationship between the specific heat capacity of the material and the change in
temperature of the cold water. Which metal would cause the greatest increase in the temperature of
the water in the calorimeter? Explain.
The greater the heat capacity of the material, the greater the change in temperature of the cold water.
Based from our data, bronze and silver would cause the greatest increase in the temperature of the
calorimeter. This is because they accumulated more heat compared to the other matals.

6. If equal masses of two metals are heated to a temperature of 373.15 K, which would cause a more
severe burn, the one with the higher specific heat or the one with a lower specific heat?
The one that would cause a more severe burn would be the one with a lower specific heat. This is
because it would increase its temperature much faster, therefore, accumulating more heat.

VI. CONCLUSION
--- DITO IINSERT ---

VII. GOING FURTHER

Calorimetry is the process of measuring the amount of heat released or absorbed during a chemical
reaction. By knowing the change in heat, it can be determined whether or not a reaction is exothermic
(releases heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat). Calorimetry also plays a large part of everyday life,
controlling the metabolic rates in humans and consequently maintaining such functions like body
temperature. Because calorimetry is used to measure the heat of a reaction, it is a crucial part of
thermodynamics. In order to measure the heat of a reaction, the reaction must be isolated so that no heat is
lost to the environment. This is achieved by use of a calorimeter, which insulates the reaction to better
contain heat. Coffee cups are often used as a quick and easy to make calorimeter for constant pressure.
More sophisticated bomb calorimeters are built for use at constant volumes. Differential scanning
calorimetry is a specific type of calorimetry including both a sample substance and a reference substance,
residing in separate chambers. While the reference chamber contains only a solvent, the sample chamber
contains an equal amount of the same solvent in addition to the substance of interest, of which the ΔH is
being determined. The ΔH due to the solvent is constant in both chambers, so any difference can be
attributed to the presence of the substance of interest. Constant Volume (bomb) calorimetry, is used to
measure the heat of a reaction while holding volume constant and resisting large amounts of pressure.
Although these two aspects of bomb calorimetry make for accurate results, they also contribute to the
difficulty of bomb calorimetry. Here, the basic assembly of a bomb calorimeter will be addressed, as well
as how bomb calorimetry relates to the heat of reaction and heat capacity and the calculations involved in
regards to these two topics. The heat capacity of a defined system is the amount of heat (usually
expressed in calories, kilocalories, or joules) needed to raise the system's temperature by one degree
(usually expressed in Celsius or Kelvin). It is expressed in units of thermal energy per degree temperature.
To aid in the analysis of systems having certain specific dimensions, molar heat capacity and specific heat
capacity can be used. To measure the heat capacity of a reaction, a calorimeter must be used.

VIII.REFERENCES
Libretexts. (2016). Calorimetry. Retrieved from
https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry_Textbook_Maps/Suppleme
ntal_Modules_(Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry)/Thermodynamics/Calorimetry