Specific Heat of

Metals Lab Report

Abstract
The specific heat of three unknown metals was determined using a simple calorimeter with
a known amount of distilled water and a tracked initial and final temperature. The calculated
specific heat of Metal 1 was 0.187±0.002 J/g°C, and with the initial observations, the sample was
predicted to be tin, with a known specific heat of 0.21 J/g°C. Metal 2 was predicted to be
aluminum, with a calculated specific heat of 0.803±0.432 J/g°C and a theoretical specific heat of
0.901 J/g°C. Metal 3 was most likely copper, with a calculated specific heat of 0.532±0.217 J/g°C
and a known specific heat of 0.39 J/g°C.
Introduction
The First Law of Thermodynamics states that the internal energy of an isolated system is
constant (1). An isolated system means that the system, or, in this case, the heat transfer occurring
within the calorimeter, has no contact with its surroundings (1). The purpose of the simple
calorimeter, and the Styrofoam specifically, is to isolate the system so no heat from the system can
escape to the surroundings, to provide an accurate temperature change. The total energy exchange
is zero because the water absorbs the heat released by the metal as it’s placed in the calorimeter.
As the heat of the metal decreases, the heat of the water increases by the exact amount, resulting
in an overall exchange of zero. The Law of Conservation of Energy also predicts that sum of these
energies must equal zero.
-qwater=qmetal (1)
The calorimeter also makes it possible to measure the specific heat of the metals. Specific
heat is the amount of heat necessary to raise the temperature of 1.00 gram of a substance by 1.0°C
or K. Because specific heat is an extensive property, meaning the larger the sample, the more heat
is needed to raise the temperature, the mass of the substance must be incorporated into the equation
(1).
q=mCsΔT (2)
The energy absorbed or released (q) is dependent on the mass (m), the specific heat (Cs),
and the change in temperature (ΔT). By setting the mCsΔT of the metal equal to the -mCsΔT of
the water, the specific heat of the metal can be determined. The mass of the metal and water are
known through weighing the metal and measuring the water in the calorimeter, the initial
temperatures of the boiling water and calorimeter water are measured using the thermometer, as is
the final temperature, which should be the same once they reach thermal equilibrium. The specific
heat of water is known to be 4.184J/(°C∙g), leaving the only unknown to be the specific heat of the
metal.

Procedure
Bring a beaker of distilled water to boil on a hot plate. Obtain three different metal samples
and record the mass of each while the water comes to a boil. Once boiling, add the metals to the
beaker so they have time to come to thermal equilibrium. Measure 50.0g of distilled water into a
Styrofoam cup set within another Styrofoam cup. Record the temperature of this water to the
nearest 0.1°C. Record the temperature within the heated beaker so that both initial temperatures
before each trial are known. Quickly move the heated metal into the Styrofoam cup and cover
with a lid pierced with a thermometer. Record the temperature change every few seconds until the
temperature stabilizes. Repeat the experiment a total of three times for each metal sample.
Between each trial, replace the 50.0g of water in the cup to maintain a room temperature sample.
Results and Discussions
The metal samples used were numbered “Metal 1,” “Metal 2,” and “Metal 3,” and had
masses of 29.202 g, 6.141 g, and 9.921 g respectively. To determine the specific heat for each
metal sample, a simple calorimeter made of Styrofoam worked to create a closed system for the
effective heat exchange between the metal samples and water was used. The heat exchange with
the surroundings (i.e. everything aside from the water and metal) was minimalized; however,
Styrofoam cannot perfectly insulate nor can the plastic lid that closed the system, and this is a
possibly major source of error, as heat most likely left the system. The temperature of the known
mass of water was monitored for thirty seconds as the heated metal samples were added and created
the system being investigated. The results for the calorimeter of Metal 1, a silver-colored, dense,
cylindrically-shaped sample, are shown in Table 1. The calculated temperature change of the water
was 2 °C in each of three trials and of the metal averaged 77.333°C.

Table 1:
Temperature Chart for Calorimetry of Metal 1
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3
Time (s)
Temp. of Water (°C) Temp. of Water (°C) Temp. of Water (°C)

0 14 16 15
10 16 17 16
30 16 18 17
ΔT H2O 2 2 2

The results for the calorimeter of Metal 2, a silver-colored, lightweight, and malleable sample, are
shown in Table 2. The calculated temperature change of the water averaged 1.85°C and of the
metal averaged 78.483°C in the three trials.
 Table 2:
Temperature Chart for Calorimetry of Metal 2
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3
Time (s)
Temp. of Water (°C) Temp. of Water (°C) Temp. of Water (°C)
0 14.5 14.5 15
10 16.5 15.2 16
30 17.5 15.8 16.25
ΔT H2O 3 1.3 1.25

The results for the calorimeter of Metal 3, a copper-colored, lightweight, hollow tube, are shown
in Table 3. The calculated temperature change of the water averaged 1.967°C and of the metal
averaged 79.367◦C in the three trials.

Table 3:
Temperature Chart for Calorimetry of Metal 3
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3
Time (s)
Temp. of Water (°C) Temp. of Water (°C) Temp. of Water (°C)
0 14.5 14.5 15
10 15.5 16 16
30 16 16 17.9
ΔT H2O 1.5 1.5 2.9

The temperatures of the water and of the metals were noticed to have changed by
approximately the same amount in each trial. Using Equation 2, the heat exchanged between the
water and sample was determined to be about 418.4 J in each trial, as the samples heated in near-
boiling water for about ten minutes each, thus receiving about the same amount of heat energy.
All substances have unique specific heats that can identify them. Therefore, the identified starting
temperatures of the metals were not accurate, as the samples have different specific heats and
masses and should have different temperatures as a result.
mCsΔT = mCsΔT (3)
In a closed system, such as the calorimeter where heat should not escape to the
surroundings, the Law of Conservation of Energy acts according to Equation 2. By substitution,
Equation 3 can be derived, where the heat of the metal as dictated by the mass, specific heat, and
change of temperature should equal that of the water. The specific heat of the metal is the only
unknown in this system and can be calculated accordingly. The calculated specific heat for each
trial for each metal is displayed in Figure 1.
 Figure 1: Calculated Specific Heat (J/g °C)
Metal 1 Metal 2 Metal 3
Trial 1 0.188 1.302 0.400
Trial 2 0.188 0.566 0.395
Trial 3 0.184 0.541 0.773
Average 0.187 0.803 0.523
Std. Dev. 0.002 0.432 0.217

The calculated specific heat for Metal 1 was 0.187±0.002 J/g °C, for Metal 2 was
0.803±0.432 J/g °C, and for Metal 3 was 0.523±0.217 J/g °C. These values combined with initial
observations of the samples were used to predict which metals the samples are. Metal 1 was most
likely tin, which has a known specific heat of 0.21 J/g °C (2). Metal 2 was most likely aluminum,
which has a known specific heat of 0.901 J/g °C. And Metal 3 was most like copper, which has a
specific heat of 0.39 J/g °C.
Percent Error = (Measured Value – Theoretical Value) / (Theoretical Value) (4)
If the metals are what were predicted, using Equation four, the percent error for each metal
sample is 10.952%, 10.878%, and 34.103% respectively.

Conclusion
Simple calorimetry was used to determine the amount of heat exchanged between a
known mass of water and of unidentified metals with unknown specific heat capacities. The
closed system created by the insulating Styrofoam calorimeter operates according to the Law of
Conservation of Energy where the sum of the heat energies equals zero.
The percent errors from the theoretical specific heat values for the three metals are
10.952%, 10.878%, and 34.103% respectively. The Styrofoam cups and flimsy plastic lid cannot
create a perfectly closed system, and some heat dissipated into the surroundings, meaning the
change the temperature for the water and metals was inaccurate. Additionally, the heated metals
were exposed to cold air before being submerged in the calorimeter, so the found temperatures of
the metals were inaccurate, as well.
Using Equation 3, specific heat of the metal is the only unknown quantity and is thus able
to be calculated. Over the course of three trials, the specific heat of the first metal was
determined to be tin with a measured specific heat of 0.187±0.002 J/g °C. The second metal is
suspected to be aluminum with a calculated specific heat of 0.803±0.432 J/g °C, and the third is
thought to be copper with measured specific heat of 0.523±0.217 J/g °C.
 Works Cited

(1) Atkins, Peter and Jones, Loretta. Chemical Principles: The Quest for Insight, 5th ed.; W.H.
Freeman and Company: New York, 2010.
(2) "Metals - Specific Heats." Metals - Specific Heats. The Engineering Toolbox, n.d. Web. 21
Jan. 2013. <http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/specific-heat-metals-d_152.html>.