A chemistry student wants to determine the specific heat capacity of an unknown metal. The student performs a calorimetry experiment and records the following data: - 50 mL of water at 25°C was added to a calorimeter. - The initial temperature of the metal was 100°C. - The final temperature of the metal and water mixture was 30°C. - The mass of the metal was 100 grams.What is the specific heat capacity of the metal?

Question

A chemistry student wants to determine the specific heat capacity of an unknown metal. The student performs a calorimetry experiment and records the following data: - 50 mL of water at 25°C was added to a calorimeter. - The initial temperature of the metal was 100°C. - The fi

Answer 1

To determine the specific heat capacity of the metal, we can use the formula for heat transfer in a calorimetry experiment:Q = mcTwhere Q is the heat transfer, m is the mass, c is the specific heat capacity, and T is the change in temperature.Since the heat gained by the water is equal to the heat lost by the metal, we can set up the following equation:Q_water = Q_metalFor water, the specific heat capacity  c_water  is 4.18 J/gC. The mass of the water  m_water  can be assumed to be equal to its volume in milliliters, so m_water = 50 g. The change in temperature for water  T_water  is the final temperature minus the initial temperature: 30C - 25C = 5C.For the metal, we have the mass  m_metal  as 100 g, and we need to find the specific heat capacity  c_metal . The change in temperature for the metal  T_metal  is the initial temperature minus the final temperature: 100C - 30C = 70C.Now we can set up the equation:m_water * c_water * T_water = m_metal * c_metal * T_metalPlugging in the values: 50 g  *  4.18 J/gC  *  5C  =  100 g  * c_metal *  70C Solving for c_metal: 50 * 4.18 * 5  /  100 * 70  = c_metalc_metal  0.149 J/gCThe specific heat capacity of the unknown metal is approximately 0.149 J/gC.