Question

A 82.5 g copper bar was heated to 221.32 oC and placed in a coffee cup calorimeter containing 323.7 mL of water at 22.55oC. The final temperature of the water was recorded to be 26.15oC. How much heat was gained by the water?

Answer 1

In this question, we have a situation in which we have to use the Calorimetry formula, which is how much heat was released or absorbed (in Joules), after we had a change in temperature of a compound. The formula for this Calorimetry question is:

Q = mcΔT

Where:

Q = is energy as Heat

m = mass in grams, 323.7 mL is 323.7 grams (1 mL = 1 gram of water)

c = is the specific heat capacity, 4.184 J/g°C

ΔT = the change in temperature, calculated as Final Temperature - Initial T

26.15 - 22.55 = 3.6°C

Now we add these values into the formula:

Q = 323.7g * 4.184 * 3.6

Q = 4.876 Joules or 4.9 kJ was the heat gained by water