A coffee-cup calorimeter contains 50.0 g of water at 60.51°C.A 12.4 g piece of graphite at 24.21°C is placed in the calorimeter.The final temperature of the water and the carbon is 59.02°C.Calculate the specific heat of carbon.The specific heat of water is 4.18 J/g⋅°C.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

First, we need to find the heat lost by the water:
q(water) = m(water) × c(water) × ΔT
q(water) = 50.0 g × 4.18 J/g°C × (60.51°C - 59.02°C) = 314.7 J

Next, we need to find the heat gained by the carbon:
q(carbon) = m(carbon) × c(carbon) × ΔT
q(carbon) = 12.4 g × c(carbon) × (59.02°C - 24.21°C)

Since the calorimeter is well-insulated, we can assume that the heat lost by the water is equal to the heat gained by the carbon:
q(water) = -q(carbon)

Substituting the values and solving for c(carbon):
314.7 J = -12.4 g × c(carbon) × (59.02°C - 24.21°C)
c(carbon) = 0.721 J/g°C

Therefore, the specific heat of carbon is 0.721 J/g°C. The answer is D.

A Coffee-Cup Calorimeter Contains 50