Heat Of Reaction Lab Report

The heat of solution is the enthalpy change associated with the process of a solute dissolving in a solvent. With an ionic compound dissolving in water, the overall energy change is the result of two processes (the energy required to to break the ionic bonds between the ions in the lattice structure, and the energy released when the free ions form dipole attractive forces with the water molecules). Heats of solution are generally measured in an insulated container, called a calorimeter. The process of the dissolving solute either adds or subtracts heat from the solution. The amount of enthalpy change can be determined by using the equation, q=m•C•∆T, with the specific heat of the solution generally being the same as that of water, 4.18 J/g•C°.

As the experiment continued (at approximately 90 seconds), the temperature plateaued at approximately 19.75 degrees Celsius.

Evaluation:

Our experiment tested the enthalpy change of a cold pack solid when it reacts with distilled water. We created our own calorimeter and recorded the temperature of the reaction every 10 seconds to see how it fluctuated with time.

We noticed how the reaction immediately dropped in temperature, from 24.0 degrees Celsius at 0 seconds to 19.6 degrees Celsius at 78 seconds. The temperature began to plateau at 90 seconds at approximately 19.75 degrees Celsius, and stayed consistently around this temperature for the remainder of the monitored 3 minute experiment.

Using precise measurements and exact timing, our results are very reliable and accurate. We completed several trials to confirm precision and used high technology calorimeters to guarantee the utmost accuracy. The quality of our results is very trustworthy based off of the quality of the tools used throughout the experiment, the careful measurements taken, and the precision of replication used for the repetition of