Experiment #2 / Unit 6

Specific Heat of a Metal

Introduction:
Chemists identify substances on the basis of their chemical and physical
properties. One physical property of a substance is how well it will absorb and
transfer heat energy. This property can be measured and is called specific heat
capacity (cp). The specific heat capacity of a substance is the amount of energy,
measured in calories or joules, needed to raise the temperature of 1 g of the
substance by 1 oC. Water was chosen as the standard and assigned a
specific heat of 1.00 cal/g x oC. The specific heat capacities of all other
substances are compared to water.
To measure specific heat in the laboratory, a calorimeter is used. A
calorimeter is a well-insulated container used in measuring energy changes. The
calorimeter contains water and is insulated to reduce the loss or gain of energy to
or from the surroundings. Energy always flows from a substance at a higher
temperature to a substance at a lower temperature. The heat gained by the
cooler substance equals the heat lost by the warmer substance, if we assume no
loss of heat to the air outside the calorimeter.

heat lost by "system" = heat gained by water

In this experiment, you will determine the specific heat for a given metal.
The metal sample will be heated to a high temperature then placed into a coffee
cup calorimeter containing a known amount of water. If you can find out how
much heat was gained by the water in the calorimeter than you will know how
much heat was lost by the metal.

Heat lost by the metal, qmetal = − (Heat gained by the water, qH2O)

You will be able to solve for the specific heat capacity of the metal (c metal) because
everything else in the equation will be measured or known.

Practice Problem:
1. Calculate the specific heat of a metal if a 25.5 g sample is heated to
98.5 oC and dropped in a calorimeter containing 115 mL of water at
23.5 oC. The final temperature of the water is 27.0 oC.

Procedure:
1. Fill a 600 mL beaker about ¾ full with water. Record the temperature of the
water. Bring the water to a boil using a hot plate. (This has been done-on
counter).
2. Measure the mass of 10-15 g of either nickel or aluminum pellets.
3. Add the metal to a large test tube by sliding the pieces slowly down the side.
4. Place the test tube containing metal into the hot water bath (all the metal
should be under the water) and let it remain there while you do steps 5 and 6.
5. Carefully measure 75.x mL of water using a graduated cylinder.
6. Obtain a dry styrofoam cup to be used as a calorimeter. Add the water to the
cup. Place the cup into a beaker for extra stability.
Honors Chemistry Raleigh Charter High School Dr. Genez 1
7. Use the thermometer to measure the temperature of the water bath. It will be
assumed that the initial temperature of the metal is the same as that of the
heated water.
8. Use a thermometer to measure the initial temperature of the water in the
styrofoam calorimeter just before you are ready to add the hot metal.
9. Using an insulated glove, remove the test tube containing the metal from the
boiling water bath and immediately pour the metal into the calorimeter.
10. Stir the water gently and record the highest temperature reached.
11. Recover the metal by pouring off the water. Spread the metal pieces on a
paper towel to remove most of the water. Now dry them thoroughly and
return them to the container from whence they came.

Data:
 identity of metal sample
 mass of metal sample
 volume of water added to calorimeter
 temperature of boiling water bath and metal
 initial temperature of the calorimeter
 highest temperature reached by the calorimeter

Calculations and Questions:

1. Calculate the mass of the water in the calorimeter.
2. Calculate the change in temperature (T) for the water in the calorimeter.
3. Find T for the metal.
4. How much heat was gained by the water?
5. How much heat was lost by the nickel/aluminum?
6. Calculate the specific heat of the metal.
7. What is your percent error? You will have to research the accepted specific
heat of your metal.
8. Provide at least three possible (and plausible) reasons for your experimental
error.
9. Provide at least 3 reasons why water is the choice substance for calorimetry.
10. Compare the temperature changes found in #2 and 3. Explain why the
temperature change of the water was so small compared to the change
experienced by the metal. Keep in mind the assumption we used in #4 + #5.

Lab Report #6.2:

 title page
 procedure sheet
 data
 calculations and questions

Honors Chemistry Raleigh Charter High School Dr. Genez 2