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Title: Heat of combustion

Aim: to calculate the heat of ethanol and different alcohols

Apparatus:

 Bottle (100cm3)
 Glass tube
 Wick
 Thermometer
 Clamp
Materials:

 Ethanol
 Thin aluminum can (approximately 300 cm 3 ) with a broad base
Diagram:

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Method:

1. Two holes were bored through the bung. One to fit the glass tube, the other a little
smaller.
2. The glass tube was pushed through the appropriate hole in the bung
3. A simple lamp was made by half-filling the bottles with ethanol and fitting it with the
bung.
4. The wick was inserted through the glass tube and dipped into the ethanol
5. The content was weighed.
6. The apparatus was assembled.
7. The temperature of the water was taken
8. The wick was lighted, ensuring that the flame touches the metal and does not extend
beyond the base of the can.
9. The water was gently stirred with the thermometer until there was a rise of 30℃.
10. The flame was extinguished, the water was stirred, and the highest temperature reached
by the water was recorded.
11. The lamp and its content were weighed.
12. The Results were recorded.

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Observation/Result:

Final mass of lamp and contents = 205.26 g

Initial mass of lamp and its content = 206.6g

Mass of ethanol burned = 1.34 g

Final temperature of water = 64℃

Initial temperature of water = 26 ℃

Rise in temperature of water = 38℃

Heat gained by the water = heat produced by combustion of ethanol

Heat gained by water = mass × temperature rise × 4.2 J

= 250g × 38℃ × 4.2 J g-1 ℃-1

=39,900 J= 39.9 kJ

Molecular mass of ethanol ( C2H6OH)

C2 = 24g

H5= 5g

O= 16g

H= 1g

C2H6OH = 46g

Moles in ethanol

1 𝑚𝑜𝑙 46𝑔
=
𝑥 𝑚𝑜𝑙 1.3
1 𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒 ×1.34𝑔
𝑥= =0.0291 moles
46𝑔

ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟

𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑏𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 =
𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑙

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39.9𝑘𝐽
= 1,371.1kJ mols-1
0.0291

DISCUSSION:

Heat off combustion is the heating value of a substance, usually a fuel or food, is the amount of
heat released during the combustion of a specified amount of it. The calorific value is the total
energy released as heat when a substance undergoes complete combustion with oxygen under
standard conditions. An endothermic reaction occurs when energy is absorbed from the
surroundings in the form of heat. Conversely, an exothermic reaction is one in which energy is
released from the system into the surroundings. Some examples of Exothermic reactions are : a
neutralization reaction ,rusting of iron (rust steel wool with vinegar) ,reaction between water and
calcium chloride , reaction between sodium sulfite and bleach (dilute sodium hypochlorite)
,reaction between sodium and chlorine to make sodium chloride (table salt) ,reaction between
water and any strong acid and reaction between water and any anhydrous salt. Conversely some
examples of endothermic reaction are : The reaction of barium hydroxide octahydrate crystals
with dry ammonium chloride , Dissolving ammonium chloride in water ,The reaction of thionyl
chloride (SOCl2) with cobalt(II) sulfate heptahydrate ,Mixing water and ammonium nitrate And
Mixing water with potassium chloride.Many chemical reactions are combustion reactions. It is
often important to know the energy produced in such a reaction so we can determine which fuel
might be the most efficient for a given purpose.

Ethanol is used as fuel because it is produced from biomass. Additionally ethanol also burns
more cleanly and completely than gasoline or diesel fuel. The heat of combustion of ethanol is
1371 KJ mol -1 but the heat of combustion of ethanol in the experiment was 1,371.1 KJ mol -1 .
Hence, there is a difference of 0.1 KJ mol -1 . The source of error which can explain this
discrepancy are : draughts the screens might not have been set up properly , there could have
been an error while reading the thermometer And there might have been an error in calculating
the heat of combustion of ethanol. It was necessary to use a screen to provide draughts to make
the experiment more accurate. The aluminum can should have a broad base to absorb the
maximum amount of heat and so that heat can transfer from the heat vessel to the can efficiently
and quickly.

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CONCLUSION:

It can be concluded that the heat of combustion in this experiment was 1,371.1 KJ mol -1

REFLECTION:

I learnt that the heat of combustion of ethanol is 1371 KJ mol -1 and how to calculate the heat of
combustion of ethanol. The heat of combustion of a fuel is the quantity of heat liberated when
one mole of that fuel is completely oxidized. Combustion is used as a source of fuel; we
transform the chemical energy of the fuel into heat. Alcohols are used as a beverage (wine, rum
and spirits), A solvent for many substances (medicines, polishes and vanishes). Additionally
alcohols such as ethanol are also used as fuel (spirit lamps and in some motor vehicles.

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