BINDURA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE EDUCATION

FACULTY OF SCIENCE

CHEMISTRY DEPARTMENT
Student Name JANUARY TALKMORE
Reg . No. B202342B Course Code:. CH 103
Course Description:. Physical Chemistry
Practical No: 2
Practical Title:. HEAT OF NEUTRALISATION
Partner(s):. Rumbidzai Mapinga, Fortune Vushe, Munashe Mandizvidza
Date of write up submission:. 7 May 2021

AIM: To calculate heat of neutralization and dilution

OBJECTIVE: Determine the enthalpies of neutralization and dilution
 THEORY
The enthalpy of neutralization (ΔHneutralization) is defined as the change in enthalpy for when
equivalent amounts of acid and base reacts to form each weaker conjugate acid-base forms. It
is also an enthalpy of reaction describing the energy released for every 1 mole of water
produced in the reaction. The reaction results to an absence of separate hydrogen and
hydroxide ions in solution. The net ionic equation for a reaction that goes to completion is

H+(aq)+OH-(aq)——>H2O(l)
Heat measurements from reactions are commonly carried out using a coffee-cup calorimeter in
an open-air environment, a thermodynamic process occurring at constant pressure
The heat evolved in the reaction is equal to the heat calculated using the equation
dqp= mcpΔT and the heat absorbed by the calorimeter at constant pressure:
-ΔHneutralization = ΔHreaction + ΔHcal

When a reaction is carried out under standard conditions at the temperature of 298 K (25
degrees Celsius) and 1 atm of pressure and one mole of water is formed it is called the standard
enthalpy of neutralization (ΔHneutralization o).

Enthalpies of neutralization are always negative – a net amount of energy is released in the
bond-forming reaction. The standard state values for most reactions of strong acids and bases
range from -57 to -58 kJ/mol. Weak acids and bases aren't fully dissociated in solution; thus,
reactions of bound acid-base substrates will not go to completion accounting for equilibrium
effects. The enthalpy change in the reaction thus depends on the molecular interactions, and
equilibrium constants, as affected by the nature of the reactants. This factor increases the
sensitivity to changes in temperature and pressure of the reacting vessel. The bond between
the proton and its conjugate base requires energy to be broken, hence the lower measured
value enthalpy change.
In this experiment, the enthalpy of neutralization would be determined for strong acid-strong
base and weak acid weak acid-weak base reactions.
The most common device for measuring the enthalpy change of a reaction, is the adiabatic
bomb calorimeter. These are constant-volume reaction vessels designed to prevent heat
exchange with their surroundings. As a calorimeter is adiabatic, the change in temperature (∆T)
of the calorimeter is proportional to the heat (qv) that the reaction releases or absorbs.
Therefore, by measuring ∆T we can determine qv and hence the change in internal energy(∆U).
In reactions that only involve solids and liquids, the volume changes are miniscule and the
values for ∆U and the enthalpy change ∆H are almost identical.
From the first law of thermodynamics the total enthalpy change (∆Htotal) is the sum of the
enthalpy change of dissolution (∆Hdissolution) and the enthalpy change of neutralisation
(∆Hneutralisation).
 Hence ∆Hneutralisation = ∆Htotal- ∆Hdissolution
qsolution = m c ∆T    where m is the total mass of the resultant solution, c is the specific heat
capacity of the solution,
                             and ∆T = Tf -Ti
 
It is noted that the calorimeter exists as a fixed unit and thus its heat capacity is also thought to
be having a fixed value. In some cases, where the amount of substance is varying, an intensive
measurement of heat capacity, specific heat capacity is employed to study the reactions.
Specific heat capacity is defined as the heat required for raising unit mass of substance by one
degree of temperature. It has the units J/g0 C.
The relation between the heat capacity and specific heat of a substance is denoted as .
C= ms
m= mass of substance in grams.
C= Heat capacity.
c= specific heat.

APPARATUS/EQUIPMENT
Nitric Acid
Acetic Acid
0.5mol/ dm3Hydrochloric Acid
3cm3 Sodium Hydroxide
120cm3Distilled water
Plastic tumbler
Thermometer
Stirrer
METHOD/PROCEDURE
Calibration of the calorimeter
The calorimeter ws calibrated electrically with 120 cm3 of distilled water (measured with a
graduated cylinder), using a current of 0.5A.
Neutralization of an acid
120 cm3 of 0.5 mol dm-3 HCl solution (measured with a graduated cylinder) was placed in the
calorimeter. After slow stirring, temperature readings are taken at regular intervals. A graph of
temperature vs. time was plotted after each reading is taken. When the temperature is
changing at a constant rate, 3 cm3 of the concentrated sodium hydroxide solution (100g NaOH
in 100g water) was added, and the time of addition noted. Temperature readings were taken
until the values again change at a constant rate.
The experiment was repeated with each of the following in place of the hydrochloric acid: nitric
acid, acetic acid and monochloroacetic acid.

Heat of dilution of sodium hydroxide

The above procedure is repeated, with 120 cm3 of distilled water in place of the acid.

RESULTS
With HCl

Time(s) 0 20 40 60 80 100
Temperature 29 41 44 44 44 44
(°C)

With Nitric Acid

0 20 40 60 80 100
Time(s)
Temperature 38 39 40 40 40 40
( °C)

With Acetic Acid

Time (s) 0 20 40 60 80 100

Temperature 23 33 33 33 33 33
(°C)
CALCULATIONS
DISCUSSION

Students did not have much experience, working with the calorimeter as physical
processes involving calorimetry prior to learning about chemical reactions
involving calorimetry and thermochemistry. As the lab could not provide with a
calorimeter. A coffee cup calorimeter made of styrofoam is effective in preventing heat
transfer between the system and the environment was supposed to be used however our
couldn't provide one so a plastic tumbler was used. Some points of error could be accounted by
erroneous methods during actual measurements. Concentrations of solutions are not analytical
since a beaker instead of volumetric flask was used. A graduated cylinder was used for
measuring volumes of relatively large quantities, where a pipette was used repeatedly,
propagating the errors in calculations. Uncertainties in the glass wares even led to the
problematic errors for the final calculations. The primary error in this experiment could be
attributed to the temperature changes and resistance error provided by the devices in the
weight and temperature measurement. Secondary error could be mainly due to the inaccuracy
of instruments used especially the use of a plastic tumbler instead of an appropriate
calorimeter for the experiment.
The use of a plastic tumbler in the experiment led to the presence of deviations of most
solutions from ideality of theoretical values depending on the environmental conditions, since
the magnitude of these heat effects depends on the following parameters pressure,
temperature, physical state of the reactants and the products, and amount of substance
involved in the reaction. As the plastic tumbler tend to lose heat to suit the room temperature.
Also, it is assumed that the specific heat of the solution is the same as the specific heat of
water, which is not true, and depends on the species present in the solution. The temperature
is not exactly met at room temperature, and the actual atmospheric condition does not match
the theoretical values; even causing serious errors which causes deviation at probable
conditions. The temperature was not regulated, that is, no conditioning system sustains the
devices inside the laboratory causing resistance error due to heat generated.
Skills were developed, in place of a calorimeter we used a plastic tumbler which lead us to have
results which were in the same range as with the theoretical researched. The practical should
be done again using the calorimeter so that students can familiarize on working with it .
CONCLUSION
Thee enthalpy of neutralization (ΔHneutralization) is the change in enthalpy that occurs when
equivalent amounts of acid and base reacts to form each weaker conjugate acid-base forms.
Determination of the heat evolved in a reaction is done using a calorimeter. The heat evolved in
the reaction is equal to the heat calculated using the equation dqp= mcΔT and the heat
absorbed by the calorimeter at constant pressure. ∆H is negative, in neutralization, implicating
an exothermic reaction.
In the analysis, coffee-cup calorimetry was to be applied to equimolar concentrations of both
hydrochloric acid and acetic acid with sodium hydroxide. From the calculated heat capacity of
solution, it was found out that the reaction of strong acid-strong base reaction had a mean
enthalpy of neutralization of - 146.4 kJ/mol. Weak acid neutralization yielded a value of –
26.64kJ/mol
REFERENCES
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