Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments

278 DIY Science: Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments

oALIpToN ACTIvITIES

If you have time and the required materials, consider performing these

optional activities:

• Repeat the experiment using different types of metal shot, such as
  aluminum, copper, magnesium, tin, and zinc.


• Repeat the experiment using alloyed metals rather than pure metals.
  For example, you might try solder (lead/tin), brass (copper/zinc), nickel
  silver (copper/nickel), bronze (copper/tin), and so on. Solder is a good
  choice, because the label usually gives the percentages of lead and tin
  in the solder. Measure the specific heat for the alloy and compare it to
  the specific heats for the component metals to determine whether the
  specific heat of the alloy is directly proportional to the specific heats of
  the component metals.


• Repeat the experiment using mineral oil, vegetable oil, motor oil,
  or a similar liquid in place of water. Using either published or your
  experimental values for the specific heat of lead, calculate the specific
  heat of the liquid.

TABLE 15-3: Determine the specific heat of a metal—observed and calculated data

Item Lead Iron

A. Mass of shot _________.___ g_________.___ g

B. Temperature of water bath_________.___ °C_________.___ °C

C. Volume of water _________.___ mL_________.___ mL

D. Temperature of water (initial)_________.___ °C_________.___ °C

E. Temperature of water (final)_________.___ °C_________.___ °C

F. Temperature change (E – D)_________.___ °C_________.___ °C

G. Specific heat ___._____ J/(g · °C)___._____ J/(g · °C)

RQEWEvI UESTIOnS

q 1 : Using your experimental data for the lead shot and iron shot, calculate the
specific heat of lead and iron in J/g · °C and record your calculated values on line
G of Table 15-3.