Question

A chemist carefully measures the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of a 894.0 g sample of a pure substance from -5.8C to 17.5C. The experiment shows that 4.90kJs of heat are needed. What can the chemist report for the specific heat capacity of the substance? (Round your answer to 3 significant digits.)

Answer 1

Answer : The specific heat of substance is $0.235J/g^oC$

Explanation :

Formula used :

$Q=m\times c\times \Delta T$

or,

$Q=m\times c\times (T_2-T_1)$

where,

Q = heat needed = 4.90 kJ  = 4900 J

m = mass of sample = 894.0 g

c = specific heat of substance = ?

$T_1$ = initial temperature  = $-5.8^oC$

$T_2$ = final temperature  = $17.5^oC$

Now put all the given value in the above formula, we get:

$4900J=894.0g\times c\times [17.5-(-5.8)]^oC$

$c=0.235J/g^oC$

Therefore, the specific heat of substance is $0.235J/g^oC$