Name ____________________________________
Date _________________
LAB 7.3
Enthalpy of Fusion of Ice
Purpose To find the enthalpy of fusion of ice and compare it to the theoretical value
Hints Remember that sometimes, before writing up your procedure, it helps to write the
mathematical equations you will need in order to solve for the heat of fusion of ice. Then, from
the equations, you can make a data table, and from that you can write a procedure.
It’s difficult to measure the mass of ice because its mass is constantly changing as it melts. It’s
easier to use ice in the experiment and then find its mass after it has melted and served its purpose
in the experiment. The mass of the ice before the experiment will be the same as the mass of the
melted ice (water) after the experiment because of the law of conservation of mass (mass does not
change during chemical and physical changes).
Procedure Design a lab using calorimetry to find the heat of fusion of ice. The write-up should
include:
• Title
• Purpose
• Background information (Include information about how calorimetry works, defining the
enthalpy of fusion, and giving the theoretical value for the enthalpy of fusion of ice.)
• Materials
• Procedure (Perform more than one trial.)
• Data table and observations (Remember—no calculations here, just raw data)
• Results/calculations (Show all equations used, show work, average your final results for
enthalpy of fusion of ice, calculate the percent error with the theoretical value.)
Conclusion Restate the purpose and answer it completely. Give at least two possible sources of
error. How can this type of experiment or this type of information be used in real life? What other
type of experiment could you do?
Create a class histogram (see Lab 2.7, Discussion question 5). Describe the class results. Is
there a clear mode? If not, suggest possible reasons.
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