LAB #2- CHE 504 – USING A CALORIMETER TO DETERMINE
THE SPECIFIC HEAT CAPACITY OF A MATERIAL
Name:
Date:
Partners:
Teacher:
Purpose:
To determine the specific heat capacity of 3 different metals using a
calorimeter.
Materials:
hot plate
brass cube
thermometer
600 mL beaker
copper cube
unknown cube
Styrofoam cup
graduated cylinder 50 mL
Procedure:
1) Boil water and place 50 mL in a graduated cylinder.
2) Take a copper cube and weigh it. Record the mass.
3) The initial temperature of the metal (Ti2) will be that of the room. Record it.
4) Place the water in the calorimeter and record the temperature (Ti1).
5) Place the copper cube in the calorimeter.
6) Record the temperature when the system has reached an equilibrium Tf
7) Repeat steps 1-6 for the brass and the unknown material X.
Observations:
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Table #1: Calorimeter Properites
Material
(Cu, X or
Brass)
Mass m1
g
Mass m2
g
Final Tf
oC
Ti1
(H2O)
oC
Ti2
(Material)
oC
Cp1
(H2O)
J/goC
Table #2: Heat Capacity Data Summary
Material
(Cu, X or Brass)
Average
Cp Experimental
J/goC
Cp
Theoretical
J/goC
%
Error
Cp2
(Material)
J/goC
LAB #2- CHE 504 – USING A CALORIMETER TO DETERMINE
THE SPECIFIC HEAT CAPACITY OF A MATERIAL
Calculations:
1) Determine the heat capacity in J/goC for each metal.
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a) Copper
b) Brass
c) Unknown material X.
2) Calculate the average heat capacity using the data collected by the class.
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a) Copper
b) Brass
c) Uknown material X
LAB #2- CHE 504 – USING A CALORIMETER TO DETERMINE
THE SPECIFIC HEAT CAPACITY OF A MATERIAL
3) Calculate the percent error for the heat capacities of each material.
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a) Copper
b) Brass
c) Unknown Material
Results:
1) Repeat the purpose.
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2) What was the unknown material? Give evidence to support this claim.
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3) Did the results agree with the theory? What was the percentage error?
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4) Why do metals have relatively small heat capacities compared to water?
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LAB #2- CHE 504 – USING A CALORIMETER TO DETERMINE
THE SPECIFIC HEAT CAPACITY OF A MATERIAL
5) Give one example where a designer or engineer would use a material in their design of
a product, exploiting the properties of its’ heat capacity.
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6) List 2 possible sources of experimental error and explain how that error affected the
results.
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Conclusion:
Summarize in 2-3 sentences the major findings and observations of this
experiment.
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