Question

An unknown substance has a mass of 14.5g. The temperature of the substance increases by 15.3 degrees Celsius when 85.4 J of heat is added to the substance.

a. Calculate the specific heat of the substance.
b. Determine the identity of the substance (assume no phase change).

Answer 1

The specific heat capacity of the substance is approximately 0.385 J/g°C. To determine its identity, one would compare this value to known specific heat capacities of various substances.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the specific heat of the substance, we use the formula Q = mcΔT, where Q is the heat energy added (in joules), m is the mass of the substance (in grams), c is the specific heat capacity (in J/g°C), and ΔT is the change in temperature (in °C).

From the question, we know that Q = 85.4 J, m = 14.5 g, and ΔT = 15.3 °C. Plugging these values into the formula, we get:

85.4 J = (14.5 g) * c * (15.3 °C)

Solving for c gives:

c = 85.4 J / (14.5 g * 15.3 °C)

c ≈ 0.385 J/g°C

This is the specific heat capacity of the substance. To determine the identity of the substance, we would compare this value to known specific heat capacities of substances. Without a table provided in the question, we can't definitively determine the identity of the substance, but a specific heat capacity of 0.385 J/g°C is close to the specific heat capacity of substances like glass or concrete.