Burhan Riaz

10/11/2011

What is the Relationship Between the Heat Release in a Neutralization Reaction and Acid

Strength?

Beginning Ideas: The more likely a neutralization reaction is able to occur, the more heat is able

to be released. By this understanding, a stronger acid should be able to release more heat than a

weaker acid. The reason being is that strong acids give away their protons more freely than weak

acids. So if we test two different neutralization reactions with different acids and measure the

heat of the solution, we can test this hypothesis. The two neutralization reactions tested are as

follows:

NaOH(aq) + HCl(aq) NaCl(aq) + H2O(l)

CH3COOH(aq) + NaOH(aq) Na(aq) + CH3COO(aq) + H2O(l)

Tests:

Two reactions were prepared by initially gathering three beakers. The beakers contained 50mL

3M HCl, 50mL 3M acetic acid, and 100mL of 3M NaOH. To calibrate the thermometers, a large

beaker was filled with water and the thermometers were placed inside and allowed 5 minutes to

attain the temperature. Two calorimeters were then prepared by inserting a coffee cup into

another coffee cup. After calibrating the thermometers, the thermometers were put into the acid

beakers to test if the temperatures were the same. 50mL of each acid was poured into separate

calorimeters and the thermometers were placed inside as well. 50mL of NaOH was poured into
the calorimeters to start the reaction. Immediately the lid was placed onto the calorimeters. The

initial temperature change was taken and was periodically recorded every minute.

Note: To properly attain all valuable data, the calorimeter constant should be found before the

experiment. This was not included in our procedure.

Observations:

Temperature Change in HCl/NaOH neutralization

Time(min) Temperature(C)
0 40.0
1 40.0
2 40.0
3 40.0
4 40.0
5 39.0
6 38.0
7 38.0
8 37.0
9 37.0
10 36.0
Initial temperature: 20.0C

Temperature Change in CH3COOH/NaOH neutralization

Time(min) Temperature(C)
0 39.0
1 39.0
2 38.5
3 38.0
4 38.0
5 38.0
6 37.5
7 37.0
8 37.0
9 37.0
 10 37.0
Initial temperature: 20.0C

Class Values of Total Volume(mL) and Temperature Change(C)

V Total(HCl/ CH3COOH) Temperature Change(C)

20.0 mL /20.0 mL 18.3/13
20.0 mL /20.0 mL 18.2/16.4
20.0 mL/20.0 mL 18.2/18.2
20.0 mL /20.0 mL 18.0/17.4
40.0 mL /40.0 mL 19.5/17.7
40.0 mL /40.0 mL 21.5/19.3
100.0 mL /100.0 mL 20.0/19.0

Evidence:

Temperature(C) vs. Time(min) of HCl/NaOH neutralization

40.5
40
39.5
39
Temperature

38.5
38
37.5
37
36.5
36
35.5
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Time

Initial temperature was 20.0C.

 Temperature(C) vs. Time(min) of CH3COOH/NaOH neutralization

39.5

39

38.5
Temperature

38

37.5

37

36.5
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Time

Initial temperature was 20.0C

Heat absorbed by HCl/NaOH solution: 9626J

Heat absorbed by CH3COOH/NaOH solution: 9146J

This was calculated by the formula:

q=(total grams)(specific heat of water 4.814)(change in temperature)

Although the energy absorbed by the calorimeter was not calculated due to not finding the

calorimeter constant, it can be found by this equation:

q=(calorimeter constant)(change in temperature)

To find the total energy produced by the reaction you simply add the the energy absorbed by the

solution and the energy absorbed by the calorimeter. Lastly, you can find the molar heat of

neutralization by diving the total energy by moles.

Claim: A strong acid like HCl will release more heat in a neutralization reaction than

CH3COOH. This is because HCl is more likely to give away its proton atom than a weaker acid,

thus releasing more heat in the reaction.

Reading:

According to the Bronsted-Lowry definition of acids and bases, acids are proton donors while

bases are proton acceptors2. One quality about strong acids is that they can almost be completely

ionized in a polar solvent2. This means that weak acids don't completely ionize2. Neutralization

reactions are exothermic reactions and one can expect a negative change in enthalpy2. When

using a weak acid in a neutralization reaction, more energy is required to break the proton

bonds2. Thus, you have a smaller change in enthalpy. When using a strong acid, less energy is

required to break the proton bonds and so the excess energy is released as heat2. The reason

strong acids readily ionize is because of the large positive charge of the H atom2. The more

positive it is the more proton-like it becomes. A polar water molecule for instance can then easily

take these protons away from the acid.

In this experiment, equations like q=mCdeltaT become important in finding the heat absorbed by

the solution1. The mxC part is important because it gives the amount of joules of that particular
solution but only accounts for one degree of temperature change. That is why the temperature

change is then multiplied. This however does not take account of the total energy produced by

neutralization. The calorimeter absorbs some of the heat in the reaction and must be accounted

for1. To find this value you need to find the calorimeter constant and multiply by the temperature

change. The reason there are different calorimeter constants is that different materials absorb

heat at various rates2. Metal for instance will absorb much of the heat released by the reaction

unlike styrofoam cups. Once the total amount of energy is calculated one can find the molar heat

of neutralization by dividing the joules over moles1.

Reflection:

The key step missed in the procedure was not finding the calorimeter constant. This is important

in determining the energy absorbed by the calorimeter. The energy absorbed by the calorimeter

plus the energy absorbed by the solution equals the total energy produced by neutralization.

What we do know from the data is that HCl had a greater temperature change than the weaker

acetic acid. The energy absorbed by the HCl/NaOH solution was 9626J as opposed to the

CH3COOH/NaOH solution which absorbed 9146J . The energy produced by HCl/NaOH's

neutralization will be larger than the acetic acid's reaction. Unfortunately without the calorimeter

constant I can't get a specific answer but in terms of relativity, a strong acid's neutralization

reaction like HCl will produce more heat than a weak acid like CH3COOH. This is due to the

fact that a strong acid has better tendency to give off proton atoms. A weak acid may not

completely ionize. In the equation, q=mCdeltaT it is easy to see what components are important
to find energy. The specific heat capacity, mass, and change in temperature are directly

proportional to the work(J).

News Brief:

If you've ever had stomach indigestion, you may have tried taking antacids to counter the

problem. Stomach indigestion problems arise due to excess amounts of acids produced by the

stomach lining. An antacid is a base which can counter the effects of the acid. This mixing of

acids and bases is called a neutralization reaction and creates water. In our experiment we used a

device called a calorimeter to measure the heat produced by two different neutralization

reactions. One of them contained a strong acid, while the other contained a weak acid. The result

was that the strong acid solution produced more heat than the weak one. Why is this? Strong

acids like HCl which can be found in your stomach are more likely break apart when they are

near a strong base. Since energy cannot be lost or made, the excess energy is transferred as heat.

More energy is needed to break apart weak acids and thus less energy is released as heat.

Citations:

1
Chemistry 2046L Laboratory Manual for Chemistry Fundamentals II

2
Tro, Nivaldo J. Chemistry: a Molecular Approach. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice

Hall, 2011. Print.

Burhan Riaz

News Brief:

If you've ever had stomach indigestion, you may have tried taking antacids to counter the

problem. Stomach indigestion problems arise due to excess amounts of acids produced by the

stomach lining. An antacid is a base which can counter the effects of the acid. This mixing of

acids and bases is called a neutralization reaction and creates water. In our experiment we used a

device called a calorimeter to measure the heat produced by two different neutralization

reactions. One of them contained a strong acid, while the other contained a weak acid. The result

was that the strong acid solution produced more heat than the weak one. Why is this? Strong

acids like HCl which can be found in your stomach are more likely break apart when they are

near a strong base. Since energy cannot be lost or made, the excess energy is transferred as heat.

More energy is needed to break apart weak acids and thus less energy is released as heat.