Daunt 1

Taylor Daunt
Intro to Chem
W. T. Dungan
October 9th, 2016
Caloric Content of Food
Once I complete this lab I should be able to define the terms calorie, kilocalorie, dietary calorie,
and specific heat capacity, as well as describe a calorimeter. I will be able to compare and
contrast carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins for energy utilization in the human body. I will have
the ability to create a rudimentary calorimeter, and convert different energy units. I should be
able to use a rudimentary calorimeter to determine the energy content of three foods. Then I will
calculate the percent difference of the estimated energy content of the food between the
output of the calorimeter and the estimated energy content of the food as listed on a nutrition
label. Finally I will describe how Atwater factors are determined and calculate the estimated
caloric content of foods based on Atwater factors.
Purpose:
To measure the energy content of different food samples and to become familiar with energy
units such as calories and joules.
Procedure:
Step 1: 100 mL beaker was weighed and filled half way with water then weighed again.Then
subtracted to get the net weight of the water. The burner was set up on aluminum foil then the
water in the beaker was placed on the burner. The initial temperature of the water was recorded.
This step was repeated for each of the food samples below.
Marshmallow:
The marshmallow and an empty fork were both weighed. The marshmallow was placed on a fork
and lighted. Once lit and burning, it was placed under the beaker while the thermometer was
used to stir the water. The fork with the remnants of the burnt marshmallow was then weighed
again,the weight of the empty fork was subtracted to get the weight of the marshmallow remnant.
The temperature of the water was recorded as the final temperature.
Peanut:
Step 1 was repeated. The weight of the peanut was recorded then lit and allowed to burn. Once
burning, it was placed under the beaker of water. Once the peanut was almost completely burned,
it was removed and the final temperature of the water was recorded. The weight of the peanut
residue was determined and recorded.
Potato Chip:
Step 1 was repeated. The weight of the potato chip was recorded then lit and allowed to burn.
Once burning, it was placed under the beaker of water. Once the potato chip was almost
completely burned, it was removed and the final temperature of the water was recorded. The
weight of the potato chip residue was determined and recorded.
Exercise 1: Determination of Caloric Content of Three Foods.
Data Table #1 Determining the Mass of the Water (g)
The purpose for the table below is to determine the initial mass of the beaker and water, both
together and separately.

Daunt 2

Nut

Marshmallow

Other Food

Mass of Beaker

51.4g

51.4g

51.4g

Mass of
water+beaker

101.4g

101.4

101.4g

Mass of water only

50g

50g

50g

Data table #2 Caloric Calculations

The purpose for the table below is to calculate the different foods energy.
Food description

Nut (peanut)

Marshmallow
(jumbo)

Other sample (potato

chip)

Mass of food, cup,

and clamp (initial)

29.4g

35.7g

29.9g

Mass of food, cup,

and clamp (final)

29.3g

34.7g

28.9g

Mass of burned food

.1g

1g

28.9g

Observation of the
flame (intensity,
length of burning
time)

Low intensity, burned High intensity,

for a minute, only
burned for about 30
burned half way
seconds
through

Medium high
intensity, burned for
a minute

Water temp (initial)

23.3c

21.3c

24.1c

Water temp (final)

25.2c

33.2c

36c

Change in temp (T)

(C)

1.9c

10.1c

11.9c

(Q) Energy Released

(kcal/g)

.95 kcal/g

.505 kcal/g

.595 kcal/g

Energy Estimated on
Package (kcal/g)

6.5 kcal/g

3.33 kcal/g

5.66 kcal/g

Percent Difference

85%

84.8%

89.5%

Determination of
Calories according to
Atwater Factors
(kcal/g)

6.45 kcal/g

3.33 kcal/g

5.70 kcal/g

Daunt 3

Conclusion: The hypothesis for this lab was that if different foods are burned, then their energy
content could be found, because the energy will be transferred to the water in the calorimeter
because of the Law of Conservation of Energy. This hypothesis was supported because when the
food burned the temperature of the water increased. The lab was related to the study of energy
because we measured the change in temperature using the calorimeter and used the heat
calculation to determine the heat energy.
Questions:
A. Compare the calorimeter that you built to a bomb calorimeter. How are they similar? How are
they different?
The calorimeter I built is similar to a bomb calorimeter in the way that both are measuring the
temperature of the water in order to find the heat capacity and end up with the amount of heat
that was released by the chemical reaction. The difference is that with the bomb calorimeter an
electrical wire is used to produce the chemical reaction rather than directly igniting an object
through the use of a same. Another difference is that the reactants are submersed in water rather
than the reactants being under a beaker filled with water.
B. Based on your results, was this set up a good way to measure Calories as opposed to a bomb
calorimeter? What types of experimental error may have occurred with this experiment? How
might you design this setup differently if you had unlimited expenses for materials?
The setup used for this lab was not bad, but it would have been better to use a bomb calorimeter
as the bomb calorimeter doesnt give off heat, and is also airsealed. The types of error could have
been heat escaping in the experiment, and wrong calculations in the math. If I were to design this
experiment differently I would have used a different method to trap the heat and make it more
accurate
C. Based on how each food burned, which food would be the best to use for a fuel that has a
steady flame and might burn for a long time? What was the composition of this food (which
macromolecule was it mostly composed of)? How does this relate to the way that the human
body utilizes this type of macromolecule as fuel?
Potato chips, the composition was mostly carbs and fat. This makes sense because carbs and fats
are the types of macromolecules that the body takes the longest to burn, as they are fuel.
D. Although protein was part of the composition of the foods in this experiment, it was not the
main macromolecule component of the nut or the marshmallow. Why do you think this type of
food may have been left out, based on what you learned about the way the fuel is burned in the
body?
Protein may have been left out because it is not used as energy in the body, and thus couldnt be
measured accurately in this experiment.