Question

The In the laboratory a "coffee cup" calorimeter, or constant pressure calorimeter, is frequently used to determine the specific heat of a solid, or to measure the energy of a solution phase reaction. Sing a Since the cup itself can absorb energy, a separate experiment is needed to determine the heat capacity of the calorimeter. This is known as calibrating the calorimeter and the value determined is called the calorimeter constant. One way to do this is to use a common metal of known heat capacity. In the laboratory a student heats 96.00 grams of nickel to 99.06 °C and then drops it into a cup containing 76.63 grams of water at 22.35 °C. She measures the final temperature to be 31.31 °C Med ple Using the accepted value for the specific heat of nickel (See the References tool), calculate the calorimeter constant. JC. Calorimeter Constant

Answer 1

We use the relation:

Heat released by the Nickel coin = Heat absorbed by water + heat absorbed by calorimeter

Mass of Ni * Specific heat of NI * Temperature change = Mass of water * Specific heat of water * Temperature change + Calorimeter constant * Temperature change

The specific heat of Ni is 0.44 J / K-g

Using the given data:

96 * 0.44 *(99.06 - 31.31) = 76.63 * 4.184 * (31.31 - 22.35) + C * (31.31 - 22.35)

Solving, C = 1.23 J/⁰C