Specific Heat of Metals
Specific Heat of Metals
Specific Heat of Metals
0103Hon
Chemists identify substances on the basis of their chemical and physical properties. One physical property of a substance is the amount of energy it will absorb per unit of mass. This property can be measured quite accurately and is called specific heat (Cp). Specific heat is the amount of energy, measured in joules, needed to raise the temperature of one gram of the substance one Celsius degree. Often applied to metallic elements, specific heat can be used as a basis for comparing energy absorption and transfer. To measure specific heat in the laboratory, a calorimeter of some kind must be used. A calorimeter is a wellinsulated container used in measuring energy changes. The calorimeter is insulated to reduce the loss or gain of energy to or from the surroundings. Energy always flows from an object at a higher temperature to an object at a lower temperature. The heat gained by the cooler substance equals theheat lost by the warmer substance, if we assume no loss of heat to the surrounding environment.
ANALYSIS 1. Prepare another table for your data if yours is messy. 2. Calculate the specific heat of the metal and its density. Use these to determine the most probable metal from the table below. Densities can be found on the periodic table. 3. Calculate the error and % of error for each metal used.
QUESTIONS 1. Explain how you used physical properties to help you identify the sample(s) used in this experiment? Wha others did you use besides specific heat?
2. Why is water an excellent material to use in a calorimeter? 3. Calculate the specific heat of a metallic element if 314 joules of energy are needed to raise the temperature of a 50.0 g sample from 25.0C to 50.0C. 4. Propose a method for determining the specific heat, Cp, for a metal, like sodium, that reacts with water. 5. How is the atomic mass of metals related to their specific heats? (use chart below)
Metal atomic mass(g/mol) specific heat(J/gC) metal atomic mass(g/mol) specific heat(J/gC) metal atomic mass(g/mol) specific heat(J/gC)
Aluminum Antimony Barium Beryllium Bismuth Cadmium Calcium Cesium Chromium Cobalt Copper Gallium Germanium Gold Hafnium Indium Iridium
27.0 121.7 137.3 9.01 209.0 112.4 40.1 132.9 52.0 58.9 63.5 69.7 72.6 197.0 178.5 114.8 192.2
0.9025 0.2072 0.2044 1.824 0.1221 0.2311 0.6315 0.2421 0.4491 0.421 0.3845 0.3709 0.3215 0.129 0.1442 0.2407 0.1306
iron 55.8 lanthanum 138.9 lead 207.2 lithium 6.9 lutetium 175.0 magnesium 24.3 manganese 54.9 mercury 200.6 molybdenum 95.9 nickel 58.7 niobium 92.9 osmium 190.2 palladium 106.4 platinum 195.1 potassium 39.1 rhenium 186.2
0.4494 0.1952 0.1276 3.569 0.1535 1.024 0.4791 0.1395 0.2508 0.4442 0.2648 0.130 0.2441 0.1326 0.7566 0.1368
rhodium rubidium ruthenium scandium silver sodium strontium tantalum thallium tin titanium tungsten vanadium yttrium zinc zirconium
102.9 85.5 101.1 45.0 107.9 23.0 87.6 180.9 204.4 118.7 47.9 183.9 50.9 88.9 65.4 91.2
0.2427 0.3634 0.2381 0.5677 0.235 1.228 0.301 0.1402 0.1288 0.2274 0.5226 0.132 0.4886 0.2984 0.3884 0.278
6. How would the following errors affect the value of the specific heat of the metal. Explain a. Not allowing the metal to come to the temperature of the boiling water. b. Loss of heat to the air during the transfer of the metal to the water. c. Using cold water in the colorimeter.