Selena Yasmin Sapphire Galadriel Seay-Reynolds

Due: Thursday, February 24, 2011

The Specific Heat of a Metal

On a sunny day, the water in a swimming pool may warm up a degree or two while the concrete around the pool
may become too hot to walk on in your bare feet. This may seem strange because both the concrete and the
water are being heated by the same source — the sun. This evidence suggests it takes more heat to raise the
temperature of some substance than others. This, in fact, is true: the amount of heat required to equally raise the
temperature of equal masses of different substances depends on what the substances are. The amount of heat
that is required to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance by one Celsius degree is called the specific
heat capacity, or simply the specific heat, of that substance. Water, for example, has a specific heat of 4.18
J/g∙°C. Other substances, as well as other phases of the same substance, have different specific heats. This value
is high in comparison with the specific heats for other materials such as concrete.
The relationship between the temperature change of a substance and the heat absorbed or released by that
substance is given by
q = m∙c∙ΔT

where q is the heat gained (if positive) or lost (if negative), c is the specific heat of the substance, m is the mass
of the substance, and ΔT is the temperature change (Tf-Ti) of the substance.

In this experiment you will use a simple calorimeter and your knowledge of the specific heat of water to
determine the specific heat of an unknown metal. Note that you will be assuming that all of the heat lost by the
hot metal will be gained by the water, that is that qlost = -qgained. Using this equation in conjunction with the
equation above, you will be able to determine the specific heat of the unknown metal. Furthermore, since
specific heat is a characteristic of a given substance, you will be able to use the value of the specific heat to
identify the identity of the metal.

MATERIALS
LabPro system 1 styrofoam cup
TI graphing calculator 1 ring stand
temperature probe 1 ring support
link cable 1 Bunsen burner
1 - 250 mL beaker 1 striker
1 - 400 mL beaker 1 wire gauze
1 - 100 mL graduated cylinder 1 pair of crucible tongs
1 thermometer cylinder of metal
1 large test tube water
1 utility (test tube) clamp

PROCEDURE
1. Heat 250 mL of water in a 400 mL beaker on a hot plate until it is boiling gently.
2. While the water is heating, determine the mass of a clean, dry cylinder of metal. Be sure to record the
identity of the metal.
3. Gently transfer the cylinder to a large, dry test tube. Use the test tube clamp to suspend the test tube in the
boiling water. The cylinder should be below the level of the water in the beaker. Leave the test tube in the
water bath for at least 15 minutes. Place a thermometer into the test tube with the cylinder. Meanwhile,
proceed with steps 4-10.
4. While the cylinder is heating, measure 50 mL of distilled water in a graduated cylinder. Record the exact
value to the maximum precision available. Pour the water into a styrofoam cup and place the cup in a 250
mL beaker for support as shown in Figure 1.

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 Selena Yasmin Sapphire Galadriel Seay-Reynolds
Due: Thursday, February 24, 2011
5. Plug the Temperature Probe into Channel 1 of the LabPro or CBL 2 interface. Use the link cable to connect
the TI Graphing Calculator to the interface. Firmly press in the cable ends.
6. Turn on the calculator and follow these steps to start the DATAMATE program.
TI-73 and TI-83 Calculators:
Press PRGM , then press the calculator key for the number that precedes the DATAMATE program (usually 1).
Press ENTER . You are now at the main screen of the program. Press CLEAR to reset the program.
TI-83 Plus Calculators:
Press APPS , then press the calculator key for the number that precedes the DATAMATE program.
Press ENTER . You are now at the main screen of the program. Press CLEAR to reset the program.
TI-86 Calculators:
Press PRGM , press F1 to select <NAMES>, and press a menu key to select <DATAM> (usually F1 ). Press ENTER . You
are now at the main screen of the program. Press CLEAR to reset the program.
TI-89, TI-92, and TI-92 Plus Calculators:
Press 2nd [VAR-LINK]. Use or the cursor pad to scroll down to “datamate”, then press ENTER . Press ) to complete
the open parenthesis that follows “datamate” on the entry line and press ENTER . You are now at the main
screen of the program. Press CLEAR to reset the program.
7. Set up the calculator and interface for the Temperature Probe.
a. Select SETUP from the main screen.
b. If the calculator displays a Temperature Probe in CH 1, proceed directly to Step 8. If it does not, continue
with this step to set up your sensor manually.
c. Press ENTER to select CH 1.
d. Select TEMPERATURE from the SELECT SENSOR menu.
e. Select the Temperature Probe you are using (in °C) from the TEMPERATURE menu.
8. Set up the data-collection mode.
a. To select MODE, press once and press ENTER .
b. Select TIME GRAPH from the SELECT MODE menu.
c. Select CHANGE TIME SETTINGS from the TIME GRAPH SETTINGS menu.
d. Enter “4” as the time between samples in seconds.
e. Enter “75” as the number of samples. The length of the data collection will be 4 minutes.
f. Select OK to return to the setup screen.
g. Select OK again to return to the main screen.
9. Lower the temperature probe into the water in the styrofoam cup.
10. After the cylinder has heated for about 15 minutes, measure the temperature in the test tube with the
thermometer (Ti(metal)). This will be assumed to be the initial temperature of the metal cylinder.
11. You are now ready to begin collecting data.
a. Select START on the main screen.
b. After about 20 seconds have elapsed, remove the test tube from the boiling water and quickly but carefully
transfer the metal into the water filled styrofoam cup. Gently stir the solution with the Temperature Probe
to ensure good mixing.
c. A real-time graph of temperature vs. time will be displayed on the calculator screen during data collection.
d. Temperature readings (in °C) can also be monitored in the upper-right corner of the graph.
e. Data collection will stop after 5 minutes, and a graph of temperature vs. time will be displayed
12. Use the or keys (or the cursor pad on the TI-92) to examine the data points along the displayed curve of
temperature vs. time. As you move the cursor right or left, the time (X) and temperature (Y) values of each
data point are displayed below the graph. Determine the initial temperature, t1, and final (or minimum)
temperature, t2. Record the temperature values in your data table (round to the nearest 0.1°C).
13. Pour off the water and return the metal cylinder to your teacher.

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 Selena Yasmin Sapphire Galadriel Seay-Reynolds
Due: Thursday, February 24, 2011
QUESTION
1. Give a reasonable source of error that is consistent with your results. Be sure to support your claim and show
the consistency.

DATA AND CALCULATIONS

Initial metal temperature, Ti(metal) °C 89.3 °C
Initial water temperature, Ti(H2O) °C 23.1 °C
Final temperature, Tf °C 30.4 °C
metal identity Zinc
mass of metal g 68.07 g
Volume of water, V(H2O) mL 50.0 mL
Specific heat of water J/g∙°C 4.18 J/g∙°C
Density of water g/mL 1 g/mL

Change in water temperature, ∆T(H2O)

30.4 °C – 23.1 °C = 7.3 °C
Change in metal temperature, ∆T(metal)
30.4 °C – 89.3 °C = -58.9 °C
Mass of water
50.0 mL ∙ 1 g/1 mL = 50.0 g
Heat gained by water
(4.18 J/g∙°C)(50.0 g)(7.3 °C) = 1.53 x 103 J
Heat lost by metal
-1.53 x 103 J
Experimentally determined specific heat of metal
(-1.53 x 103 J) = 0.382 J/g∙°C
(68.07 g)(-58.9 °C)
Accepted specific heat of metal (from Chemistry: Matter and Change, page 973)
0.388 J/g∙°C
Percent Error
(0.388 J/g∙°C) - (0.382 J/g∙°C) x 100% = 1.55%
(0.388 J/g∙°C)