Calorimetry – Summary Notes

 Heat is a form of energy. When two bodies at different temperatures are kept in contact,
heat flows from the body at higher temperature to the body at lower temperature.
 The SI unit of heat joule, abbreviated as J. The other most commonly used unit of heat is
calorie. One calorie is that quantity of heat which raises the temperature of 1 g of water by
1C .
1 calorie = 4.1855 joules  4.2 joules
 Thea amount of heat required to raise the temperature to raise the temperature of a
substance by 1C or 1 K is known as the heat capacity or thermal capacity of the substance.
Amount of heat Q
Heat capacity   ,
Risein temperature t
Where  Q is the amount of heat, and  t is the change in temperature.
 The SI unit of heat capacity is joule per degree Celsius, i.e., J C1 . Its CGS unit is cal C1
and MKS unit is kcal C1 .
 The specific heat capacity of a substance is the amount of heat required to raise the
temperature of unit mass of the substance by 1C .
Q
Specific heat capacity, c  ,
m  t
Where Q is the amount of heat required, m is the mass of the substance and  t is the
change in temperature.
 The SI unit of specific heat capacity is joules per kilogram per degree Celsius, i.e.,
J kg 1 C1 .
 Relationship between Heat Capacity and Specific Heat Capacity.
We know that:
Q
Specific heat capacity, c 
m  t
Since the amount of heat required to change the temperature of a body by 1C is called
heat capacity
Q
c or Q  m  c
m 1
Or Heat capacity = Mass Specific  heat capacity
 The principle of calorimetry is based on the law of conservation of energy. It states that
when a hot body is brought into close contact to a cold body, the heat is transferred from
the hot body to the cold body till both the bodies attain the same temperature, assuming
that no heat is lost to the surroundings, i.e., if the system is fully insulated.
Heat lost by hot body = Heat gained by cold body
 The process of change from one state of matter to another state by supplying heat at a
constant temperature is called the change of phase or state.

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 The process of change of state from solid to liquid by supplying heat to the solid at constant
temperature is called melting or fusion. The reverse change, i.e., from liquid to solid is
called freezing.
 Heat energy is absorbed during melting and it is released during freezing at constant
temperature.
 The constant temperature at which a solid starts to melt is called the melting point of that
solid.
 Freezing point and melting point of a substance are the same.
 If a substance contracts on freezing, its melting point increases by the increase in
pressure.
 If a substance expands on freezing, its melting point decreases by the increase in
pressure.
 The presence of impurities in a substance decreases the melting point of the substance.
The property is used in making the freezing mixture by adding salt to ice.
 The latent heat of a substance is the amount of heat absorbed or released during the change
of state without change in temperature. The SI unit of latent heat is J kg 1 . When the latent
heat is expressed in unit mass of the substance, it is termed as specific latent heat.
Amount of heat for the change of state
Specific latent heat 
Mass of thesubstance
Q
or L , where L is the specific latent heat, Q is the amount of heat required
m
(absorbed or released) for the change of state and m is the mass of the substance.
 The specific latent heat of fusion is the amount of heat required to convert unit mass of a
substance from solid state to liquid state without change in temperature. The SI unit of
specific latent heat of fusion is J kg 1 . Other common units are cal g 1 and kcal g 1 .
 The process of changing a substance from liquid state to gaseous state (or vapour) by
supplying heat at constant temperature (boiling point), is called vaporization. During the
process of vaporization, the temperature of liquid remains constant. The constant
temperature at which a liquid changes into vapour state is called the boiling point of that
liquid.
 The boiling point of a liquid increases with the increase in pressure and decreases with
the decrease in pressure.
 The presence of impurities in a liquid increases the boiling point of the liquid. That is
why, the addition of salt makes the cooking fast.
 The specific latent heat of vaporization is the amount of heat required to convert unit mass
of a substance from the liquid to its vapour state at a constant temperature. The SI unit of
specific latent heat of vaporization is J kg 1 . The other common units are cal g 1 and
kcal g 1 .

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 The greenhouse effect is the rise in temperature that Earth experiences because certain
gases such as carbon dioxide  CO2  , nitrous oxide  N2O , methane  CH4  and water
vapour in the atmosphere trap energy from the sun. These gases are called greenhouse
gases.
 Global warming is a consequence of the greenhouse effect. It refers to the increase in the
average temperature of air (atmosphere) near the surface of Earth.
 Different greenhouse gases contribute to the global warming differently, such as:
 The increased concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere may bring drastic
changes in the climate.
 Nitrous oxide is about 230 times more efficient in global warming than carbon
dioxide.
 Methane gas traps heat about 4 times more efficiently than carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere.
 Greenhouse effect and global warming can affect the life on Earth though changes in
weather patterns.
 There is an urgent need to take positive steps to change the alarming trends we are seeing.
This can be done by
 Reducing the emission of greenhouse gases.
 Driving tree plantation projects across the world.
 Increasing awareness to reduce consumption and striving to have alternate technology
that is environment friendly.

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