Worksheet Calorimetry

Calorimetry is the experimental measurement of heat (q) produced in chemical

and physical processes. Heat can not be measured directly, but temperature
changes can be measured. The factor that links these two is heat capacity.
Heat capacity, C, is defined as the heat required to raise the temperature of a
substance one degree. It relates a measured change in temperature (T) to heat
flow (q) by the equation:
q = C x T x mass
This can be calculated on a per gram basis (specific heat capacity) or a per
mole basis (molar heat capacity).
It is easiest to understand the molecular basis for heat capacity by using molar
heat capacities of different substances. As energy enters a system, it is
distributed among all of the degrees of freedom within a molecule (translational,
rotational and vibrational modes). The more complex the molecule, the larger its
heat capacity, and the smaller the rise in temperature, since the energy is spread
out among more modes.
1. 10 gram samples of iron at a temperature of 100oC are place into three
beakers each containing 1.0 mol of three different solvents, octane,
trichloromethane and methanol, all at 25.0oC. Their structures and molar masses
are shown below.

a) How many degrees of freedom in each compound?

octane ________

trichloromethane ________

methanol ________

b) Which will have the largest molar heat capacity?

c) This compound have the (largest , smallest ) change in temperature.
d) Which will have the largest change in temperature?
e) The temperature of the methanol rises to 28.9oC. The specific heat
capacity of iron is 0.449 J/goC. What are the specific and molar heat
capacities of methanol?

The previous example dealt with a physical change, the transfer of heat from
one body to another, qmetal = - qliquid.
Chemical reactions also result in a change in temperature and transfer of heat:
qsystem = - qsurroundings where the system is the reaction and the surroundings is
the calorimeter used to measure the change in temperature.
For reactions taking place in solution, a coffee cup calorimeter can be used to
determine the heat of reaction, qsystem which is the same as the enthalpy change
Hrxn, since it measured under conditions of constant external pressure (1 atm).
2. 50 grams of KCl at 27.0oC is dissolved in 100 mL of 27.0oC water in a coffee
cup calorimeter. What is the final temperature of the salt solution? Assume that
the heat capacity of the solution is 4.184 J/goC.
(Formula weight of KCl = 74.55 g/mol)
KCl (s) K+ (aq) + Cl- (aq)

H = 4.1 kJ/mol

qsys = 4.1 kJ/mol x ________ moles of KCl = ________ J

qsurr = Csurr ( _______ ) x Tsurr (Tf - ______ ) x masssurr ( ___________ )
qsys = - qsurr
Tf = ________
This is an (endothermic, exothermic) process.
The PE of the reactants is ( > , < ) the PE of the products.

PE

Fill in the energy levels of the reactants and products in the energy diagram.

The heat of reaction for combustion reactions can be measured using a bomb
calorimeter. This is a rigid steel container with a combustion source that is
surrounded by a water bath. The sample is burned in an oxygen atmosphere
and the heat given off by the reaction raises the temperature of the calorimeter.
3. The heat of combustion of sucrose (C12H24O12) in a bomb calorimeter is
-3840 kJ/mol.
______ C12H22O11 (s) + ______ O2 (g) ______ CO2 (g) + ______ H2O (g)
Balance the reaction.
When 20 grams of sucrose is burned, the temperature of the calorimeter rises by
9.7oC. What is the heat capacity (C) of the calorimeter?
(molar mass of sucrose = 360.3 g/mol)
qsys = _________

qsurr = Csurr x T _______ = - qsys = ________

Csurr = Ccalorimeter = __________
Because this reaction was carried out under conditions of constant volume, the
heat of reaction, -3840 kJ/mol, is equal to E, not H.
These are related by the equation
H = E + nRT
n = mol of gas in products mol of gas in reactants = ________

(R = 8.314 J/mol K, T = 298 K)

H = _______

The difference is the work done by the expansion of the gases when they are not
confined to a bomb calorimeter.