A 50.00 g sample of an unknown metal is heated to 45.00°C. It is then placed in a coffee-cup calorimeter filled with water. The
calorimeter and the water have a combined mass of 250.0 g and an overall specific heat of 1.035 cal/g•°C. The initial temperature of the calorimeter is 10.00°C. The system reaches a final temperature of 11.08°C when the metal is added.
First, in order to calculate the specific heat capacity of the metal in help in identifying it, we must find the heat absorbed by the calorimeter using: Energy = mass * specific heat capacity * change in temperature Q = 250 * 1.035 * (11.08 - 10) Q = 279.45 cal/g
Next, we use the same formula for the metal as the heat absorbed by the calorimeter is equal to the heal released by the metal.
-279.45 = 50 * c * (11.08 - 45) [minus sign added as energy released] c = 0.165
The specific heat capacity of the metal is 0.165 cal/gC
