The specific heat capacity is defined as the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one gram of a given substance one degree Celsius (or Kelvin). It is expressed in units of energy per °C and gram. While the heat capacity of a sample is the heat needed to increase the temperature of the whole sample it is expressed in units of energy per °C. So, the heat capacity shall be divided by the mass of the substance in grams to find the specific heat capacity, This is specific heat / mass in grams --> heat capacity.