Question

Would the amount of heat absorbed by the dissolution in Example 5.6 appear greater, lesser, or remain the same if the heat capacity of the calorimeter were taken into account? Explain your answer.

a) Greater, because heat capacity affects heat absorption.
b) Lesser, as heat capacity decreases overall heat.
c) Remain the same, as heat capacity has no impact.
d) None of the above.

Answer 1

The amount of heat absorbed during a dissolution would appear greater if the heat capacity of the calorimeter is taken into account because it includes the heat absorbed by both the solution and the calorimeter, which was previously underestimated.

the correct answer is a.

Step-by-step explanation:

The amount of heat absorbed by the dissolution in Example 5.6 would appear greater if the heat capacity of the calorimeter were taken into account. This is because the heat capacity of the calorimeter represents the amount of thermal energy the calorimeter itself can absorb. When considering the heat absorbed by both the solution and the calorimeter, we would include the heat absorbed by the calorimeter in our calculations. If the calorimeter has a sizable heat capacity, neglecting it would underestimate the total heat absorbed during the dissolution.

Therefore, the correct answer is a) Greater, because heat capacity affects heat absorption. Including the heat capacity of the calorimeter (qcalorimeter) in the calculation of heat absorbed (rxn) during the dissolution, the equation rxn = -(solution + qcalorimeter) shows that adding the negative qcalorimeter results in a larger absolute value for the heat of dissolution measured.