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SAINT JUDE CATHOLIC SCHOOL

SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
327 YCAZA ST., SAN MIGUEL, MANILA, PHILIPPINES
Tel. Nos.: 735-6386 / 735-6393
www.sjcs.edu.ph

4th Quarter, Second Semester, SY 2020 – 2021

General Chemistry 2

Name: __________________________ Score: ______________________ %

Gr. 12 Sec ____ Date: _______________________
Laboratory Experiment No. 03: Coffee Cup Calorimetry

Because of the global pandemic caused by the CoVid-19, we won’t be able to do face-to-face laboratory experiments.
We can only do this in the comfort of our home. Thus, this experiment was adopted from the following websites:
 https://study.com/academy/lesson/coffee-cup-calorimetry-lab.html
 http://faculty.ccbcmd.edu/~cyau/122%2009%20Calorimetry%20JAN%202014.pdf
 https://www.saddleback.edu/faculty/jzoval/chem108_lab/lab_2_heat_capacity_lab/lab-2-specific-
heat_02_14_09.pdf

In this Experiment at Home, you will be finding the specific heat of a metal.

Objective: In this experiment you will be studying the properties of heat. You will be able to identify the specific heat
of a metal by looking at the heat transfer between a metal and water.

Guide Questions:
1. What happens when a hot object is placed in a cool bath of water?
2. Where does the heat go?

Materials:
Scale to measure mass Oven mitts
Two 6 ounce Styrofoam cups Thermometer (up to 100°C)
Masking tape 4'' square piece of carboard
2 different samples of metal, such as coin and Exacto knife or cutter
paperclip A stir to mix the water (preferably rubber or glass)
Graduated cylinder or any measuring cups Water
Pot for heating water
Tongs

Procedure:
1. To build the calorimeter, take one styrofoam cup and place it inside the other. Next, use your Exacto knife to cut the
cardboard into a circle that fits snuggle on top of the cup. Be careful not to cut it too small. It is important that the
cup is sealed for the experiment.
2. Cut two small holes in the cardboard which will fit the stir and the thermometer and place them in the holes. Seal any
gaps with masking tape.
3. Weigh the empty calorimeter (both styrofoam cups and cover only; no water, no stirring rod, no thermometer).
Record the mass of the empty calorimeter in your data table, record this mass using three numbers after the decimal
point.
4. Now, use your graduated cylinder to measure 150mL of water. Each mL is equal to one gram, so record the mass of
water used as 150g in your notebook. Pour this into your calorimeter.
5. Take the mass of your first metal using the scale and record this in your notebook.
6. Measure the initial temperature of water.
7. Boil a pot of water and add the metal. Wait 5 minutes for the metal to heat up. Since water boils at 100 °C, record the
initial temperature of the metal in your notebook as 100 °C as well.
8. Now place the metal in the calorimeter and quickly close the cardboard. Wrap a layer of tape around the edge to
secure the lid. Twist the stir to mix the water.
9. When the temperature stops changing, the system is at equilibrium. Record this temperature as the final temperature
in your notebook.
10. Repeat procedures 1-9 using the second metal.
Make sure your calorimeter is sealed tightly. If
heat escapes to the surroundings, you won't
get an accurate final temperature, and thus an
inaccurate specific heat. Also make sure you
BE CAREFUL WITH THE HOT WATER!!! stir the water constantly, so all of the water is
able to absorb the heat from the metal.
BE SURE YOU ARE WEARING YOUR PPE!!!
Data Analysis:
Equation 1 qsystem = – qsurroundings
Equation 2 q = mcT
Equation 3 c = q / mT
Equation 4 qmetal = [qcalorimeter + qwater ]
Equation 5 qmetal = – qwater

Table 1
Metal 1 Metal 2
Mass of empty calorimeter g g
Mass of calorimeter and water g g
Initial temperature of water in calorimeter (Ti water) °C °C
Initial temperature of metal (assume 100.0°C) (Ti metal) °C °C
Equilibrium temperature of metal and water in the
°C °C
calorimeter (Tf water = Tf metal)

1. Calculate ∆Tmetal
Metal 1 Metal 2

2. Calculate ∆Twater
Metal 1 Metal 2

3. Calculate the heat energy gained by the water (qwater).

Metal 1 Metal 2

4. Calculate the specific heat of your metal (cmetal)

Metal 1 Metal 2

Conclusion:

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