ENTHALPY OF COMBUSTION OF ALCOHOLS

Alcohols are organic compounds containing hydroxyl ions. They are considered crucial
molecules in organic chemistry forming various types of compounds beneficial in daily basis of
living. The functional group of oxygen and hydrogen strongly and have great contribution in the
alcohol compound properties, this group has two reactive covalent from of bonds, the carbon and
oxygen bond and the oxygen and hydrogen bond. Alcohol can also be a water derivative due to
presence of hydrogen and oxygen.

Alcohol as compound has various types depending on an atom presence. This are ethanol,
methanol, propanol, butanol and pentanol which different uses like for example ethyl ¿), for
drinks, fuels and also utilized in pharmaceutical industries. Methanol C 2 H 5 O H )used as formalin
in death preservation and embalming, acetic can also be a derived product of methanol with
different usage. Propanol (C ¿ ¿ 3 H 7 OH )¿ as alcohol is used pharmaceutical industries, butanol
(C ¿ ¿ 4 H 9 OH )¿ for biofuel and pentanol(C ¿ ¿ 5 H 11 OH )¿ medications and etc., this just proves
how useful alcohol compounds are.

Enthalpy is a sum of internal energy added to the product of the volume and pressure of
system. Enthalpy is a thermodynamic property of a system. It is the sum of internal energy added
to the product of the pressure and volume of the system. It reflects the capacity to do non-
mechanical work and the capacity to release heat. The total enthalpy cannot be measure since it
is impossible to know the zero point so it is the change in enthalpy that is calculated between one
state and another. The importance in measuring enthalpy is that it allows us to determine whether
a reaction was endothermic or exothermic. It can also be used in the calculation of heat of
reaction, heat flow of calorimetry, minimum power for a compressor and is widely used in
thermal engineering.

Combustion is principally the oxidation of carbon compounds by oxygen in air to form

CO2 if there is a sufficient amount of oxygen. The hydrogen in a compound forms H 2O.
Combustion produces heat as well as carbon dioxide and water. The enthalpy change of
combustion is the enthalpy change that occurs when 1 mole of a fuel is burned completely in
oxygen
 In the experiment, the enthalpy of combustion of alcohols such as ethanol, propanol,
methanol, butanol, and pentanol is measured in order to know the relationship of the between the
number of carbon atoms present in the alcohol chain and the standard enthalpy change of
combustion.

OBJECTIVES:

● Determine the relationship of the number of carbon atoms present in the alcohols and
the standard enthalpy change of combustion.
● To calculate the enthalpy change of combustion

IV. MATERIALS:

Apparatus Materials List:

● 5 Tripod Stands
● 5 Thermometers
● 5 copper Calorimeters
● 5 Stirrers
● 5 Spirit Lamps or Burners
● Digital Weighing Scale or Electronic Mass Balance
● 5 Wooden Blocks
● Match

Chemical Materials List:

∙ Water (600 cm3/ 120 cm3 at each copper calorimeter)

∙ Ethanol
∙ Methanol
∙ Propanol
∙ Butanol
∙ Pentanol
Procedure:

1. Take the burner or the spirit lamp with alcohol inside and record the initial mass in the
data table using the electronic mass balance.

2. Next, record the initial temperature of water using the thermometer in the tripod stands.

3. Lit the spirit lamp of the burner of alcohol using the match and place it below the copper
calorimeter with water inside.

4. Start heating the water and stir the water inside the calorimeter but make sure that the
thermometer will not touch the bottom part of the thermometer in order to get the right
temperature.

5. Observe the temperature of the water while you are stirring.

6. After approximately 1 minute and 20 seconds or if the thermometer reading is at the

range of 32℃ -33℃ , remove the flame placed under the copper calorimeter and
extinguish the burner for safety purposes.

7. Continuously stir the water inside the copper calorimeter after removing the flame to get
the maximum temperature of the water.

8. Observe again the thermometer reading and if the temperature is not rising anymore then
it is expected that it reached the maximum temperature. Record the maximum
temperature in the data table.

9. Remember to get the final mass of the burner with alcohol using the electronic mass
balance and record the mass in the data table.

VI. RESULTS:
 Table 2. Massof t h e Burner wit h Alco h ol Before t h e Experiment

MASS
ALCOHOL
(grams)

Ethanol 193.83

Propanol 228.56

Butanol 222.12

Pentanol 215.68

Methanol 184.37

Table 3. Massof t h e Burner wit h Alco h ol After t h e Experiment

MASS
ALCOHOL
(grams)

Ethanol 193.34

Propanol 228.14

Butanol 221.69

Pentanol 215.34

Methanol 183.72

Table 4. Temperature of t h e Water Before t h e Experiment

TEMPERATURE OF WATER
COPPER CALORIMETER
(℃ )

1 26
 2 25

3 25

4 25

5 25.5

Table 5.Temperature of t h e Water After t h e Experiment

TEMPERATURE OF WATER
COPPER CALORIMETER
(℃ )

1 35.5

2 35

3 35.5

4 34

5 34

Table 6. Summary of Results∈t h e Computation

STANDARD ENTHALPY
NUMBER OF CARBON
ALCOHOLS OF COMBUSTION
ATOMS
(kJ/mol)

Methanol 1 −210.24

Ethanol 2 −448.27

Propanol 3 −717.59

Butanol 4 −906.51
 Pentanol 5 −1169.53

Table 7. Summary of Percentage Errors

Percentage Error
Alcohol Number of Carbon Atoms
(%)

Methanol 1 71.07

Ethanol 2 67.23

Propanol 3 64.47

Butanol 4 66.11

Pentanol 5 64.85

VII. DISCUSSION:

Based from the data collected, it can be concluded that there is a relationship between the
number of carbon atoms present in the standard enthalpy of combustion. Also, there is an
observed pattern in the table 6 in which as the number of carbon atom increases, the more the
enthalpy change of combustion become more negative.

In terms of the errors, there are some things that may have caused that high percentage
error in obtaining the standard enthalpy change of combustion of the alcohols. Before the
experiment, the alcohol burner was lit up already even if it is not time to use it and it may have
caused some mass loss of the alcohol inside the burner. Another is the hole at the lid of the
copper calorimeter, this type of calorimeter is properly insulated but heat loss is inevitable
because of the hole allotted for the thermometer. Also, the water inside the calorimeter might not
be constant upon the heating process in which some evaporated resulting to mass loss. Lastly,
incomplete combustion possibly caused the high percentage error because carbon monoxide was
formed instead of carbon dioxide that yielded a low standard enthalpy change of combustion.
VIII. Conclusion:

In this experiment, five different types of alcohol groups were subjected to

combustion and obtained their respective standard enthalpy change of combustion. The results
showed that there is a direct relationship between the number of carbon present in the alcohol
and their enthalpy change of combustion. The increase in the presence of carbon atoms in each
alcohol made a trend in which the standard enthalpy change of combustion of each alcohol is
becoming more negative.

IX. Links and References:

Alcohols. (2020, September 13). Chemistry LibreTexts.

https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Organic_Chemistry/Supplemental_Modules_(Or
ganic_Chemistry)/Alcohols
Libretexts. (2020, September 13). Properties of Alcohols. Chemistry LibreTexts.
https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Organic_Chemistry/Supplemental_Modules_(Or
ganic_Chemistry)/Alcohols/Properties_of_Alcohols
Role of Alcohol in general chemistry. (2017, November 2). Worldofchemicals.Com.
https://www.worldofchemicals.com/601/chemistry-articles/role-of-alcohol-in-general-
chemistry.html
Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Enthalpy Definition in Chemistry and Physics." ThoughtCo,
Aug. 28, 2020, thoughtco.com/definition-of-enthalpy-605091

Solution Process:

A. Computations for the Standard Enthalpy of Propanol:

Mass of Propanol Burnt=( initial mass of propanol−final mass of propanol )

Mass of Propanol Burnt =( 228.56 g−228.14 g )
 Mass of Propanol Burnt =0.42 g

Molar Mass of Propanol = 60.11 g/mol

Moles of Propanol Burnt=0.42 g ( 60.11

1 mol
g)
=0.00699 mol

Enthalpy Change of Water ( ∆ H )=mc ∆ T

∆ T =¿
∆ T =( 35 ℃−25 ℃ )=10.0 ℃
J
Specific Heat Capacity of Water (c)=4.18
g∗℃
Mass of Water ( m )=dv

(
Mass of Water ( m )= 1
g
cm
3 )
( 120 c m3 )

Mass of Water ( m )=120 g

J
Enthalpy Change of Water ( ∆ H )=(120 g)(4.18 )(10.0 ℃)
g∗℃
Enthalpy Change of Water ( ∆ H )=5.016 kJ
∆H
Standard Enthalpy of Propanol ( ∆ H comb
o
)= mole of propanol burnt
5.016 kJ
Standard Enthalpy of Propanol ( ∆ H comb ) =
o
=717.59 kJ /mol
0.00699 mol

Since combustionis an exothermic process , ( ∆ H ocomb ) =−717.59 kJ /mol

Number Carbon Atoms∈Propanol=3