General Chemistry I

Specific Heat
INTRODUCTION
Just as people can be identified by their appearance and their behavior, substances are
described and identified by their physical (appearance) and chemical (behavior) properties.
Physical properties are those than can be studied without attempting to change the substance into
a different substance, while chemical properties can only be studied while trying to change the
substance into another substance. You will measure the physical property of specific heat and
knowing the density of an unknown metal from the first lab, you will use your data to try to
identify the substance.
In today's experiment you will be measuring the specific heat of a metal. Heat is a form
of energy. Temperature is used to describe the intensity of heat. The two are NOT the same. A
flame of a match and the burner of a stove may be at the same temperature but the stove burner
possesses a great deal more heat. The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of a
quantity of matter is directly related to the amount of matter, that is, its mass. The amount of
heat is also directly related to the size of the temperature change. These proportionalities are
reflected in equation 1, where q is heat, m is mass in grams and cs and T are described below.

q = csmT (1)

T means change in temperature and is always calculated as Tfinal - Tinitial. The constant cs is a
proportionality constant known as specific heat and it is a characteristic property of the kind of
matter being studied. It has the units of cal/gC or J/gC. We will be using joules as our heat
unit in this experiment.
Temperature is a rough measure of molecular motion. The same quantity of heat will
produce a different temperature change in equal masses of different substances. This is not at all
odd. Engines of the same horsepower will move a Lincoln and an Escort at rather different
speeds. It takes less heat to raise the temperature of a cup of milk a given number of degrees
than it does a cup of water. In other words, different and characteristic amounts of heat are
required to heat the same mass of different substances through the same temperature range. Be
sure not to confuse temperature and quantity of heat. Which should melt more ice, a thimbleful
of boiling water or a bucket of water at 90C? Vote for the bucket!

Some fundamental definitions would seem to be in order now.

Heat: Heat lost is negative and heat gained is positive, because of the way in which heat
is defined scientifically.

Calorie (cal): Quantity of heat liberated or absorbed when 1.00 g of water is cooled or
heated 1.00C. (To be exact, this is true only between 14.5 and 15.5C. However, the amount
of heat associated with 1C temperature change is usually so close to 1 cal that this figure is used
unless very precise work is in progress.) The calorie is the unit most often used in the older
Metric System.

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Specific Heat

Joule (J): Unit of heat most commonly used in the SI system. 1.00 cal = 4.184 J

Specific Heat (cs): The quantity of heat liberated or absorbed when the temperature of
1.00 gram of a substance falls or rises 1.00C. Specific heat is temperature (and phase)
dependent. Thus, one must know not only the substance but also the temperature range and
whether a solid, liquid or gas is involved. Specific heats of selected substances are given in the
following table.
Substance Specific Heat (J/gC)
water (gas) 1.874
water (liquid) 4.184
water (solid) 2.113
ammonia (liquid) 4.39
ammonia (solid) 2.09
ethanol (liquid) 2.43

In this activity the specific heat of a metal will be determined using the concept of the
zero’th law which states that in any process where heat is transferred,

Heat loss = - Heat gain (2)

Heat will be transferred from the metal to both the water and the calorimeter. The following
equation takes all three components into account.

qmetal = - (qcalorimeter + qwater) (3)

To simplify calculations, unless otherwise stated, you will assume that the calorimeter constant,
C, is zero. Since qcalorimeter = CT, qcalorimeter thus equals zero and equation 4 is obtained.

qmetal = - qwater (4)

A sample of hot metal (of known mass and temperature) will be mixed with water (also
of known mass and temperature). The metal will lose heat and water will gain heat. The
temperature after mixing will be uniform, that is, the water and metal will be at the same
temperature.
The specific heat of water is 4.184 J/gC. Thus, the heat gained by the water can be
calculated. From the zero’th law the amount of heat must be equal to the heat lost by the metal
sample. From this, the specific heat of the metal is calculated.

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Specific Heat
PROCEDURE:

Part A: Specific Heat

1. Put about 400 mL of water (tap or distilled) into a 600 mL beaker and heat it to boiling on a
hot plate.

2. Obtain an unknown metal and record its number. You will use this metal for three
experiments. Each experiment will use approximately 1/3 of the metal. Take your two largest
test tubes and weigh approximately 1/3 of the metal samples into them using the following
instructions.
a. Take your metal sample, a large beaker, the two large test tubes (labeled 1 and 2), your
data sheet and pen to a balance.
b. Weigh the full container of metal, without the cover.
c. TARE the balance.
d. Pour approximately 1/3 the metal sample into test tube #1.
e. Weigh the 2/3 full bottle of metal, without the cover. The mass that is shown (ignoring
the negative sign) is the mass of metal that is in test tube #1. Record this mass.
f. TARE the balance with the 2/3 full bottle of metal on it.
g. Pour the 1/3 of the metal into test tube #2.
h. Weigh the empty bottle, without the cover. The mass that is shown (ignoring the
negative sign) is the mass of metal that is in test tube #2. Record this mass.

3. Gently insert a thermometer into the metal sample in one of the test tubes. Place both test
tubes in the 600 mL beaker, which by now should contain very hot water.

4. Allow the metal samples to heat until the temperature is stable (~100C). Meanwhile, weigh
two empty, nested foam cups. TARE the balance. Remove the cups from the balance and, using
a graduated cylinder or small beaker, place 80 mL of distilled water into the cup. Reweigh to
obtain the mass of the water. Place a second thermometer through the cover of the cup. Support
the thermometer by a paper clip and clamp arrangement, so that the bulb of the thermometer will
be in the center of the water. Read the temperature of the water in the cup to 0.1C and record
the temperature when it becomes steady. This is the initial temperature of the water.

5. When the temperature of the metal is stable, record it to 0.1C. This is the initial temperature
of the metal.

6. Remove the thermometer from test tube #1 and gently place it in the metal in test tube #2.
Carefully remove test tube #1 of metal from the water bath; caution, it will be hot. Pour the
metal quickly into the water in the cup. Quickly replace the cover, swirl, and watch the
temperature of the water/metal mixture. Record the highest temperature reached by this mixture.
This is the final temperature for the metal and for the water.

7. Repeat steps 4 - 6 with the sample of metal in the other test tube, reusing the same cups after
drying them out.

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Specific Heat
8. From your data, calculate the specific heat of your unknown metal in each trial and average
the results.

Part B: Density

1. Using a clean, dry 10 mL graduated cylinder, add approximately 5 mL of distilled water.

Record the volume of water to the nearest 0.01 mL.

2. Weigh the graduated cylinder as precisely as your balance allows and record the mass.

3. Add the remaining third of your metal to the graduated cylinder. Add the metal carefully to
ensure that the water is completely covering the metal and that the volume is less than 10.00 mL.
Depending on the shape and size of your metal sample, you may not use the entire remaining
third of the sample.

4. Record the volume and the mass of the graduated cylinder and metal.

5. Calculate the density of your unknown metal.

Safety
Wear safety goggles at all times during the experiment. Caution: Hot and cold glassware look
the same. Use caution when handling glassware.

Disposal
Carefully collect the metal, ensuring no metal is placed down the drain, and return it to the
sample container.

Clean-up
Clean all glassware. Return all shared equipment to the proper location. Return sample
containers. Wipe down your work surfaces with a damp sponge or paper towel.

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NAME ____________________________________ General Chemistry I
Specific Heat
DATA

Part A: Specific Heat

Trial 1 Trial 2

Metal Unknown #

Mass of metal (g)

Mass of water in cup (g)

Initial temperature of water (C)

Initial temperature of metal (hot) (C)

Temperature of water/metal mixture (C)

CALCULATIONS

Change in temperature of water (Tw) (C)

Change in temperature of metal (Tm) (C)

Heat gained by water. Show set-up and

calculations for trial 1. (J)

Heat lost by the metal. (J) Remember that

qmetal = - qwater

Specific heat of metal (show set-up and

calculations for trial 1) (J/gC)

Average specific heat (J/gC)

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NAME ____________________________________ General Chemistry I
Specific Heat
Part B: Density

Volume of water

Mass of water and graduated cylinder

Volume of metal and water

Mass of water, metal, and graduated cylinder

Calculations:

Mass of metal used

Volume of metal used

Density of metal (g/mL)

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NAME ____________________________________ General Chemistry I
Specific Heat
IDENTIFY YOUR METAL
POSSIBLE METALS

Metal Density (g/mL) Specific Heat (J/gC) Appearance

Ag 10.5 0.235 white
Al 2.70 0.90 tin-white with somewhat bluish tint
Ba 3.51 0.15 yellow silver
Bi 9.80 0.11 silvery-white
Ca 1.55 0.63 lustrous, silver-white surface
Cd 8.65 0.23 silver-white, blue-tinged, lustrous
Co 8.90 0.42 grey, hard
Cu 8.96 0.38 reddish, lustrous
Fe 7.86 0.44 silvery-white or grey, soft
Mg 1.74 1.02 silvery-white
Ni 8.90 0.44 lustrous white, hard
Pb 11.4 0.13 bluish-white, silvery, grey
Sn 7.30 0.227 almost silver-white, lustrous
Sr 2.6 0.30 silvery-white
W 19.3 0.13 steel-grey to tin-white
Zn 7.14 0.39 bluish-white, lustrous

1. Based on the above data and your density, specific heat and the appearance of the metal, what
is your unknown metal? (If you cannot choose one, list all the possible choices.)

 actual − experimental 
2. What is the percent error for your density?  % error = x 100 
 actual 

3. What is the percent error for your specific heat?

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NAME ____________________________________ General Chemistry I
Specific Heat
PRESTUDY
1. (2) How many joules are necessary to raise the temperature of 753.896 g of water from
20.3C to 87.3C?

__________________ J

2. (2) What is the specific heat of a metal, if 145.982 g of the metal requires 1917.3 joules for a
20.3C temperature change?

__________________ J/gC

3. (3) 99.467 g of an unknown metal, at a temperature of 103.7C are mixed with 71.892 g of
water at a temperature of 20.5C. The resulting mixture reached a maximum temperature of
23.7C. Assuming that the calorimeter constant is 0, what is the specific heat of the metal?

__________________ J/gC

4. (3) Using the information found in problem 3, recalculate the specific heat of the metal using
a calorimeter constant (C) of 17.5 J/C instead of zero. (T for the calorimeter equals T for the
water. Use qcalorimeter = CT and equation 3 to find q for the metal.)

__________________ J/gC

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