Figure 3- 10 shows the variation with temperature of the molal specific heat

capacities cp and c. for copper, at a constant pressure of I atm. At low temperatures

the two arc nearly equal, and near absolute zero both drop rapidly to zero.
(Compare with the graph of expansivity in Fig. 2- 16.) This behavior is characteristic
of most solids, although the temperature at which the sharp drop occurs varies
widely from one substance to another. At high temperatures, cp continues to
increase while c. becomes nearly constant and equal to about 25 x 10 J kilomole-
K- 1 It is found that this same value of c. is approached by many solids at high
temperatures and it is called the Dulong* and Petitt value, after the men who first
discovered this fact. Although there seems to be little connection between the heat
capacity of solids and the properties of gases at low pressure, it will be recalled that
the gas constant R equals 8.31 x 10' J kilomoJe- K- 1, and 25 x 10' J kilomolc-1 K-1
is almost exactly three times this; that is, the specific heat capacity at constant
volume is nearly equal to 3R at high temperatures. We shall show in Section 9-8
that on theoretical grounds a value of 3R is to be expected for c. for solids at high
temperatures.