Naphthalene combustion can be used to calibrate the heat capacity of a bomb calorimeter.The heat of combustion of naphthalene is -40.1 kJ/g. When 0.8210 g of naphthalene was burned in a calorimeter containing 1,000.g of water, a temperature rise of 4.21°C was observed. What is the heat capacity of the bomb calorimeter excluding the water?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

First, we need to calculate the amount of heat absorbed by the water in the calorimeter:

q = m * Cp * ΔT
q = 1000.g * 4.184 J/g°C * 4.21°C
q = 17.6 kJ

Since the heat released by naphthalene combustion is equal to the heat absorbed by the water and the calorimeter, we can set up an equation:

(-40.1 kJ/g) * (0.8210 g) = q + CΔT

where C is the heat capacity of the bomb calorimeter excluding the water, and ΔT is the temperature rise of the calorimeter.

Solving for C:

C = [(-40.1 kJ/g) * (0.8210 g) - 17.6 kJ] / (4.21°C)
C = 3.64 kJ/°C

Therefore, the answer is (C) 3.64 kJ/°C.

Naphthalene Combustion Can Be Used to Calibrate the Heat Capacity