CHEM 1127Q Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Heat Capacity, Coffee Cup, Calorimetry

• School: UConn
• Department: Chemistry
• Course: CHEM 1127Q
• Professor: Dr. Niluka Wasalathanthri

Document Summary

A calorimeter is a device used to measure the amount of heat and direction of heat flow in a chemical or physical process. The calorimeter contains water and/or other materials of known heat capacity or specific heat capacity. The walls of the calorimeter are insulated so all of the heat flow is between the system and the calorimeter components (surroundings) Substance(s) that we are analyzing, which may be involved in a chemical or physical change. When thermal equilibrium is reached, the system and surroundings will be at the same final temperature. The heat flow for the system is equal in magnitude but opposite in sign of the heat flow of the surroundings. Made out of two styrofoam coffee cups. Works well for analyzing the heat of an object or reactions in an aqueous solution. Coffee cup calorimeter: heat of an object. All of the heat evolved or absorbed by the object is absorbed or lost by the water.