Lab Activity: Determining the Temperature of a Bunsen Burner using Calorimetry

Purpose: To determine the temperature of a Bunsen burner

Materials
 Two pre-1997 Canadian copper pennies  thermometer
 100 mL water  Bunsen burner
 Simple calorimeter  metal tongs
 100 mL graduated cylinder  stirring rod

Procedure
1. Carefully measure our 100 mL of water and pour this volume into your calorimeter. Record the temperature
of the water (Tinitial)
2. Record the mass of the two pennies
3. Turn on the Bunsen burner, and open the air vents to obtain a blue flame.
4. Using tongs, hold the pennies above the inner blue ‘cone’
5. After about 1 min, when the pennies are at the same temperature as the Bunsen burner flame, quickly
immerse the pennies into the water in the calorimeter. Release the pennies slowly, so that they do not melt
the sides of the calorimeter. Do not touché the water with the tongs.
6. Stir the water thoroughly; record the highest temperature (Tfinal) reached by the water

Analysis
1. At the end to the experiment, what is the temperature of the copper relative to the temperature of the
water?
2. How does the temperature of the copper compare with that of the Bunsen burner flame after the copper and
the flame have been in contact for 1 min?
3. Use your data to calculate the temperature of the Bunsen burner flame. (Hint: Q Cu = -QH2O)
4. What assumptions did you make in your calculations?