What term describes the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of a substance by 1 C?

In this tutorial, you will be introduced to the topic of specific heat. In addition, you will learn the formula that goes along with this concept and go through an example to work out the math. Also, you will learn a list of multiple substances’ specific heat capacity.

Specific Heat Definition

How easy it to heat a substance? Do all substances require the same amount of heat to raise their temperature?

An observation made by scientist Joseph Black stated that in order to heat equal masses of different substances through the same temperature interval, distinct amounts of energy are required. By the way, Joseph Black is best known for his experiments with carbon dioxide, calling the gas “fixed air”.

This chemical property, known as specific heat, is defined as the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of a substance by 1 degree Celsius. Specific heat is usually measured in Joules per gram per degree Celsius (J/g oC)- but can also have the unit ‘calorie’.

Each substance has their own specific heat capacity, which is a numerical value that describes this chemical property! For example, the specific heat of copper is 0.385, which is quite low. It means that a piece of copper is quite easy to heat up.

Specific Heat Formula

You can further learn the relationship between heat and temperature change through the following equation:

Q= mcΔT

Q= heat added (Joules)m= mass (grams)

c= specific heat (J/ g oC)


ΔT= change in temperature (Tfinal – T initial)

*Although this concept has to do with temperature in Celsius, it is okay if the ΔT value is in a different unit of temperature. This is because the difference between the two temperatures will be the same no matter the unit!

This relationship is only valid when there is no phase change, meaning the substance stays in the same state of matter from beginning to end. Gains or losses of heat that result in a phase change, such as melting or freezing, have other equations; click here to learn more!

Specific Heat Equation Example

Q: What is the energy, in Joules, needed to heat a lead pipe weighing 100g from 25oC to 37oC? The specific heat capacity of lead is 0.128 J/g oC.

A: Use the equation & plug in the numbers given to find the answer.

Q=mcΔT
Q= (100 g)(0.128 J/g oC)(37oC -25oC)= (100)(.128)(12)
Q= 153.6 Joules

Specific Heat Capacities – Examples

The units are joules per gram per degree Celsius.

  • Water = 4.186 J/g oC (or 1 calorie)
  • Dry air = 1.01J/g oC
  • Ice = 2.05 J/g oC
  • Aluminum = 0.900 J/g oC
  • Alcohol = 0.508 J/g oC
  • Copper = 0.385 J/g oC
  • Lead = 0.128 J/g oC

Can specific heat be negative? Not as far as we know on this planet, but possibly in some stars or gas clouds.

Heat Capacity of Water

The S.H capacity of water is associated with the unit called the calorie. In fact, one calorie is defined as the amount of heat need to raise 1 gram of liquid water one degree Celsius. The calorie was first used by Nicolas Clement in the early 19th century. It comes from the Latin word “calor” meaning heat.

Why does water have a high specific heat?

It is because of the hydrogen bonds. It fact, it is the highest S.H. of all liquids. Because water is a polar molecule, with a large electronegativity difference between hydrogen and oxygen, hydrogen bonds form between the positive hydrogen atoms in one molecule, and the negative oxygen atoms in nearby molecules. It takes a lot of energy to loosen and break the hydrogen bonds between water molecules. This is the reason that oceans cool down slower than land does.

Further Reading

The heat capacity tells us how much energy is needed to change the temperature of a given substance assuming that no phase changes are occurring. There are two main ways that heat capacity is reported.

What term describes how much energy it takes to change the temperature of a substance answers com?

Explanation: The specific heat of a substance tells you how much energy in the form of heat you must supply to increase the temperature of 1 gram of that substance by 1∘C .

What type of energy is responsible for change in temperature?

Thermal Energy also known as random or internal Kinetic Energy due to the random motion of molecules in a system.

What is the term for the amount of energy that is required to raise the temperature of 1 kg of a substance by 1 degree?

The specific heat capacity of a material is the energy required to raise one kilogram (kg) of the material by one degree Celsius (°C). The specific heat capacity of water is 4 200 joules per kilogram per degree Celsius (J/kg°C).

What is a measure of the heat required to change the temperature of a substance?

Heat capacity is an intrinsic physical property of a substance that measures the amount of heat required to change that substance’s temperature by a given amount. In the International System of Units (SI) heat capacity is expressed in units of joules per kelvin (J∙K−1 J ∙ K − 1 ).

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Why is latent heat called so?

The latent heats are the amount of heat energy needed by a compound to change its state. They are called latent because there are no temperature differences observed. The latent heat exists whenever a compound changes its state. When it goes from solid to liquid it is called the latent heat of fusion.

What does positive Q mean?

When heat is absorbed by the solution q for the solution has a positive value. This means that the reaction produces heat for the solution to absorb and q for the reaction is negative. … This means that the reaction absorbs heat fron the solution the reaction is endothermic and q for the reaction is positive.

What is it called when energy changes form?

Energy transformation also known as energy conversion is the process of changing energy from one form to another.

How do you calculate change in temperature?

Simple Change in Temperature Calculations

This is easy. You subtract the final temperature from the starting temperature to find the difference. So if something starts at 50 degrees Celsius and finishes at 75 degrees C then the change in temperature is 75 degrees C – 50 degrees C = 25 degrees C.

What is energy and forms of energy?

Energy comes in different forms – heat (thermal) light (radiant) mechanical electrical chemical and nuclear energy. 2.2 Various Forms of Energy. There are two types of energy – stored (potential) energy and working (kinetic) energy.

How do you calculate change in thermal energy?

  1. change in temperature = (100 – 25) = 75.0°C.
  2. change in thermal energy = mass × specific heat capacity × change in temperature.
  3. = 0.200 × 4 180 × 75.0.
  4. = 62 700 J (62.7kJ)

calorie
calorie a unit of energy or heat variously defined. The calorie was originally defined as the amount of heat required at a pressure of 1 standard atmosphere to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water 1° Celsius.

How do you calculate energy requirement?

The specific heat capacity is the heat or energy required to change one unit mass of a substance of a constant volume by 1 °C. The formula is Cv = Q / (ΔT ⨉ m) .

How do you calculate heat energy?

To calculate the amount of heat released in a chemical reaction use the equation Q = mc ΔT where Q is the heat energy transferred (in joules) m is the mass of the liquid being heated (in kilograms) c is the specific heat capacity of the liquid (joule per kilogram degrees Celsius) and ΔT is the change in …

What is the heat energy?

Heat energy is the result of the movement of tiny particles called atoms molecules or ions in solids liquids and gases. … Heat energy can be transferred from one object to another. The transfer or flow due to the difference in temperature between the two objects is called heat.

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What is the term for the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 g of a substance by 1 ∘ C?

specific heat: The amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of the substance by 1°C.

What is latent heat also called?

Latent heat (also known as latent energy or heat of transformation) is energy released or absorbed by a body or a thermodynamic system during a constant-temperature process — usually a first-order phase transition.

Why is heat energy needed to melt a solid what is this heat energy called?

Heat energy is needed to melt a solid because heat energy increases the kinetic energy of particles. This energy is sufficient enough to break the attraction or bond between the particles and they start moving faster. … This heat energy is called the latent heat of fusion.

What is latent energy quizlet?

Latent Heat. Amount of heat absorbed/released during phase change without causing a change in temperature of the substance.

What does negative delta H mean?

If ∆H is negative this means that the reaction gives off heat from reactants to products. This is favorable. If ∆S is positive this means that the disorder of the universe is increasing from reactants to products.

What does negative heat mean?

Heat (q) is negative when the amount of heat is being released/reaction is exothermic.

What is QRXN?

qrxn represents the amount of heat at constant pressure for the amounts that you used. To find ∆H for a reaction it has to correspond to the number of moles of everything in the balanced equation.

What are the changes in the forms of energy?

Energy can change from one form to another. For example when you switch on a lightbulb electrical energy changes to thermal energy and light energy. A car changes energy stored in the chemical bonds of gasoline to several different forms. A chemical reaction in the engine changes chemical energy to light …

What is the total amount of energy when one form of energy is converted into other forms of energy?

The law of conservation of energy states that when one form of energy is converted to another no energy is destroyed in the process. This mean that the total amount of energy is the same before and after any process.

What is conversion of energy?

Energy conversion is the process in which one kind of energy changes into another kind. When energy changes in this way the energy isn’t used up or lost. Energy conversion obeys the law of conservation of energy which states that energy cannot be created or destroyed.

What is the energy needed for a substance to change state called?