ES 10A

FUELS AND COMBUSTION

Lab Activity 2
Molar Heat of Combustion of Certain Alcohols

Objectives
⦁ To simulate an experiment on the determination of the molar heat of combustion of ethanol and
propanol
⦁ To derive balanced chemical equations representing the combustion of ethanol and propanol

Introduction
Combustion reactions can be observed from biological processes inside the human body to
industrial processes in different sectors of society. In the human body, the combustion of carbohydrates
and fat happen on a daily basis. These substances may not be hydrocarbons, but they undergo a similar
type of combustion reaction. For instance, the combustion of glucose (C6H12O6) is shown below:
C6H12O6+6O2→6CO2+6H2O

For this lab activity, you will be observing a Chemistry professor in Australia as he conducts an
experiment to approximate the molar heat of combustion of ethanol (C2H6O).

Instructions

1. Watch the video on the link posted in the Google Classroom about the Molar Heat of Combustion
of Ethanol.
2. Answer the questions on the Data Sheet.

Reference
Col Harrison. (2017, November 17). Experiment 3 Molar heat of combustion of ethanol [Video]. YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOwoLI8fH20
 Name: TORREGOZA, ALLIYAH MARGA Date:11/17/2023

Section :BSME 1B

ES 10A
FUELS AND COMBUSTION
Activity 2 Data Sheet
Molar Heat of Combustion of Certain Alcohols

Questions
1. In your own words, what were the possible sources of error that resulted in a large difference in
the experimental and theoretical values of the molar heat of combustion of ethanol?

Incomplete combustion introduces a potential discrepancy in calculating the molar heat of

combustion for ethanol, causing a notable difference between theoretical and experimental
values. Theoretical values assume complete combustion, whereas real-world experiments
experience heat loss within the apparatus and surrounding air. As a result, the water fails to
absorb all the heat produced during ethanol combustion, leading to a lower molar heat of
combustion than in the theoretical context.
2.Write the balanced chemical equation for the combustion of ethanol.
Complete combustion: C2H5OH + 3O2 → 2CO2 + 3H2O

Incomplete combustion: C2H5OH + 2O2 → 2CO+ 3H2O

3. Assume another experiment was conducted using propanol (C3H8O) with the following
experimental results.

Table 1. Data Gathered for the Combustion of Propanol

Water
V 100 mL
Tinitial 27 °C
Tfinal 67 °C
Propanol
 mlamp,initial 100 g
mlamp,final 97.62 g

Calculate the molar heat of combustion of propanol using the same method in the video.
Compare it with the theoretical value you can gather from a reliable source and calculate the %
error.

4.Write the balanced chemical equation for the combustion of propanol.

Therefore, the reaction of the complete combustion of propanol is:
C3H8O + 4.5O2 → 3CO2 + 4H2O