Question

When a 6.50g sample of solid sodium hydroxide dissolves in 100.0g of water in a coffee cup calorimeter, the temperature rises from 21.6C to 37.8C.

A.) Calculate the quantity of heat (in kJ) released in the reaction.
(I know the answer, but can you show the steps)

Thanks

Answer 1

temp change times mass of H2O times specific heat of H2O

(37.8 - 21.6) * 100 * 4.179

remember sig fig

Answer 2

Where does 4.179 come from?

Answer 3

4.179 comes from the specific heat of water. if a specific heat capacity ("c") isn't given in a problem, it's pretty safe to assume "c" is 4.179 or 4.18 J/g-1 Kelvin (or celsius) if you are an IB chem student!