Specific Heat
Capacity Lab
I. Title: Specific Heat
Capacity Lab
II. Purpose: To determine
the specific heat capacity
of the metal washer and
identify the type of metal
used.
III. Background:
Brainstorm a list of background
information that would be
included in your lab
Which explanation of a calorimeter
would you prefer to receive?
1. A device that keeps heat in.
2. A device used in a lab to keep energy from
entering or exiting the system.
3. A calorimeter is a device for measuring the
heat developed during a chemical reaction,
and for calculating the heat capacity of
materials (Britannica). In this lab, two
styrofoam cups will be used as a crude
calorimeter. The two cups will keep the energy
from entering or exiting the system causing the
net energy within the system to remain
constant. In other words, the energy given up
by the washer should be numerically equal to
the energy gained by the water.
IV. Materials List:
Calorimeter
4 Washers
Distilled Water (approximately 1.5 L)
Electric Balance
Thermometer
Ring Stand
Iron Ring
Hot Plate
One 2 ft piece of string
1 – 100 mL graduated cylinder
(1) 1000 mL Beaker
V. Procedure:
1. Put on apron and goggles.
2. Fill 1000 mL flask with approximately 900 mL of
distilled water and place on hot plate. Turn hot
plate to med/high temperature to allow water to
boil.
3. Attach iron ring to ring stand and place ring stand
next to 1000 mL flask so that the front edge of the
iron ring is above the beaker. See diagram 1.
Make sure the end of the
iron ring lines up with the
top of the flask
Iron
Ring
1000 mL
Flask
Hot
Plate
Diagram 1 (Bjorge)
Ring
Stand
4. Obtain a metal washer. Using electric balance, record
the mass of the washer.
5. Fill a 100 mL graduated cylinder with 50 to 100 mL of
distilled water. Measure and record volume with
appropriate precision. Pour water into the calorimeter.
6. Measure and record the temperature of the water in your
calorimeter.
7. Wait for the water in the 1000 mL flask to boil.
8. Tie a string to the washer and hang the washer through
the iron ring so that the washer is inside the boiling
water. Keep the washer in the water for 5 minutes.
Make sure that the washer is completely submerged.
9. Take the temperature of the boiling water and record as
the initial temperature of the washer.
10. As quickly and safely as possible, move the metal
washer from the boiling water to the calorimeter. Cover
the calorimeter with the lid and insert thermometer
through the preexisting hole into the water.
11. Wait for the temperature to stabilize. The
temperature is stable when there are 10
seconds or more between temperature changes.
12. Record the stable temperature of the
calorimeter.
13. Pour water down the drain and dryer out
calorimeter.
14. Repeat steps 4 – 13 twice. Once with a
different washer and once with two different
washers.
15. Clean up lab station. Make sure all water is
poured down the sink and any spilled are wiped
up.
VI. Data and Observations:
Qualitative Observations –
Boiling water had white flecks in it that
resembled tiny pieces of tissue paper.
4 cracks in the lid of the calorimeter.
In trial 2, the water took a longer time to
stabilize to a temperature.
Data (Quantitative Observations)
Metal Washers
Trial 1
Mass or volume
Initial Temperature (°C)
Final Temperature (°C)
29.3 g
51.6 mL
100.1
23.7
19.1
23.7
4.184
Specific heat (J/g°C)
Metal Washers
Trial 2
Mass or Volume
Initial Temperature (°C)
Final Temperature (°C)
Specific heat (J/g°C)
Water in Calorimeter
Water in Calorimeter
32.1
63.2 mL
100.7
24.1
19.3
24.1
4.184
Trial 3
Mass or volume
Initial Temperature (°C)
Final Temperature (°C)
Specific heat (J/g°C)
Metal Washers
61.8 g
100.6
26.7
Water in Calorimeter
76.0 mL
19.2
26.7
4.184
VII. Calculations
What is needed for a good calculations
section?
Calculations to Include
Energy determination for water for each trial
Specific Heat Capacity of the washer
Average “S” of washer
Percent Error for “S” of washer
VIII. Conclusion:
Conclusions:
The conclusion is a very important part of the formal lab report. This is where you
demonstrate your understanding of the procedures and your ability to analyze the
results of your experiment correctly. You should correctly interpret and summarize all
observations, data, and calculations included in the lab. Cite data and calculations
using specific examples to justify and support your conclusions. The conclusions
should be linked directly to the objectives and/or questions stated in the purpose of
the lab. A good conclusion should be several paragraphs and demonstrate a
thorough understanding of the experimental results and their implications. Be honest
about the limitations of your experiment and your confidence in your conclusions. For
student-designed experiments, analyze your experimental design and offer
suggestions for improvement.
Be sure to include a paragraph explanation of sources of error and inaccuracies in
your results are to be included here. Discuss what your group may have done and
how it specifically caused your results to be as they are. For example: The density of
iron should be 7.86 g/cm3. If during a density experiment, your group found the
density of iron to be 8.91 g/cm3 instead, discuss errors which would cause your
density calculations to be too high. Make it clear how each error would have driven
the density to be a higher value. It is not appropriate to say “we must have misread
the graduate or measured wrong”. If you did this, your group should repeat the
experiment!
The conclusion is something you write individually and should be in your own words.
Error
What is a reasonable source of
error for a low specific heat
capacity?
IX. Work Cited
It is impossible to complete a lab well
without having used a definition or
diagram from an outside source.
"calorimeter." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2010.
Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 20 Feb. 2010
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/90
154/calorimeter>.