Experiment No.

2
DETERMINING EXPERIMENTALLY THE NET OF A SOLID PURE SUBSTANCE
(NAPHTHALENE)

I. OBJECTIVES
a. To determine the CV of the bomb calorimeter by burning a standard substance, benzoic
acid.
b. To determine the standard net enthalpy of combustion of a solid pure substance,
naphthalene through use of a bomb calorimeter.

II. THEORY

Obtaining energy in the form of heat from the combustion of hydrocarbons, determining
its magnitude and studying its subsequent conversion into useful work is perhaps one of
the most important applications of thermodynamics in the course of human history
(web.williams.edu, 2013). Bomb calorimetry is a technique widely used to determine the
amount of heat released in the course of hydrocarbon combustion. More specifically, heats
of combustion are most conveniently measured using an adiabatic bomb calorimeter
(www.csun.edu, 2013).

Enthalpies of combustion can be measured by burning a known amount of material in

an adiabatic bomb calorimeter and determining the temperature change. In such
calorimeter, the combustion reaction occurs in a closed container under constant volume
conditions. The bomb is immersed in a known quantity of water and surrounded by an
adiabatic shield or bucket that serves as a heat insulator. The bomb is pressurized with
oxygen to ensure complete combustion and sealed to prevent escape of the combustion
products. The sample is ignited by passing a current through a fuse wire within the bomb.
Meanwhile, continuous stirring of the water with a built – in mechanical stirrer ensures that
heat is distributed evenly in the calorimeter (cartwright.chem.ox.ac.uk, 2013).

Although bomb calorimetry experiments are primarily performed for the determination
of enthalpies of combustion, it is also employed for calibrating the bomb, that is,
determining the bomb’s heat capacity. This is performed by igniting a known quantity of a
substance of known enthalpy of combustion as a standard. Benzoic acid is the most
commonly used material for this determination since both and for combustion (at
25°C) have been accurately measured by international standards laboratories
(cartwright.chem.ox.ac.uk, 2013). In this experiment, benzoic acid (C6H5COOH) is used as
the standard substance combusted by ignition using a platinum wire or fuse with electric
current to manifest calculation of the heat capacity of the bomb at constant volume (CV).

The bomb calorimeter (Fig. 1), improvised in this case, consists primarily of the sample
(benzoic acid), oxygen obtained from an oxygen – filled cylinder, the stainless steel bomb
and water wherein the bomb is immersed.
 Fig. 1 – Bomb Calorimeter Assembly.

The dewar, the space between the water – filled bucket and the outer jacket of the
calorimeter assembly, prevents heat transfer from the calorimeter to the rest of the universe
and vice versa, making the calorimeter more or less adiabatic. Because the calorimeter is
considered adiabatic,

(1)

Since the bomb is made from a rigid material (stainless steel), the combustion reaction
occurs at inherently constant volume and hence no pV work is involved during the
process. In other words,

(2)

Thus, it follows from the first law of thermodynamics that the change in internal
energy ( ) for the calorimeter assembly is zero,

(3)

In a thermodynamic sense, this equation gives an interpretation that the calorimeter is

isolated from the rest of the universe. Because the calorimeter is relatively isolated from
the universe, we can then define the reactants (benzoic acid and oxygen) to be the system
and the rest of the calorimeter (bomb and water) to be the surroundings.

From the first law of thermodynamics,

(4)
(5)
(6)
 Since the process occurs at constant volume, and hence the second term of the
equation above becomes zero as well. Noting that by thermodynamic definition, C V =
, the final equation for calculating the internal energy change for the system becomes
(7)

With CV approximated to be independent of T over small temperature ranges, this

expression (7) can then be integrated to give

(8)

where CV is the heat capacity of the surroundings, that is, the bomb and the water
(www.chem.hope.edu, 2013).

The value of CV of the calorimeter is taken as the average of the CV of the water and the
CV of the stainless steel bomb (www.chem.hope.edu, 2013).

As stated above, benzoic acid and the platinum fuse were considered as the system.
Hence, is also calculated in the following manner,

(9)

Equating equations (8) and (9) we obtain the final equation used for calculating the
experimental of the calorimeter,

(10)

where change in the internal energy for both benzoic acid and platinum are values
evaluated or determined at the standard state (at 25 °C) and should therefore be indicated
as and .

By definition of enthalpy,

(11)

(12)

For solids and liquids, very little expansion work is done such that in (11). If
the amount of gases in the bomb remain constant, would be zero and thus, .
However, in most combustion reactions, the molar amounts of gases change and therefore
should be accounted for. In particular, combustion of benzoic acid will yield gaseous CO2
based on the equation employed for hydrocarbon combustion,
 CxHYOz (s) + (2X+Y/2-Z)/2 O2 (g) → X CO2 (g) + Y/2 H2O (l)
C6H5COOH (s) + 15/2 O2 (g) → 7 CO2 (g) + 3 H2O (l)

Assuming the gas produced to be ideal, then by the ideal gas law,

(13)
; R and T are constants
(14)

is then therefore calculated by subtracting the correction from the

known enthalpy of combustion (www.csun.edu, 2013 ).

(15)

Meanwhile, for the combustion of Pt,

Pt (s) + O2 (g) → PtO2 (s)

where .

A correction factor should be included for the combustion of the fuse. The heat released
by combustion of the fuse is accounted for by recognizing that

(10)

which has already been stated earlier (www.chem.hope.edu, 2013).

In reality, the bomb calorimeter is not an adiabatic system. There is a small amount of
heat leaking through the dewar (qcalorimeter ≠ 0) and that the stirrer does work on the
calorimeter (wcalorimeter ≠ 0). The calorimeter’s nonadiabaticity is hence corrected with an
empirical radiative correction, RC.
 Fig. 2 – Temperature vs. Time graph for bomb calorimeter calibration.

The time at which the bomb is considered to be fired is the time that makes the areas
indicated in the above figure equal. For the Parr calorimeter, this is estimated to be at t = 7
minutes. Thus, the temperature at t = 6 minutes must be extrapolated forward 1 minute by
the pre-firing slope, and the temperature at t = 12 minutes must be extrapolated backward 5
minutes by the post-firing slope. Mathematically, this is done as follows
(www.chem.hope.edu, 2013):

(18)

With determined, CV of the bomb calorimeter can then be evaluated. This CV value
is then used for the determination of the standard net enthalpy of combustion of solid, pure
naphthalene. The combustion of naphthalene is given by the following reaction
(www.csun.edu, 2013),

C10H8(s) + 12O2(g) → 10CO2(g) + 4H2O(l)

Calculation of the standard net enthalpy of combustion for naphthalene is not a

straightforward process since there are two kinds of enthalpies of combustion.

The enthalpy of combustion of a fuel is commonly referred to as the heating value or

the caloric value and is briefly defined as the amount of heat released when a unit amount
of the fuel is completely combusted. Hence, the heating value is a unique characteristic of
each specific fuel. The heating value of a fuel may be categorized as either the higher
heating value (HHV) or the lower heating value (LHV). The HHV is also known as
the gross heating value (GHV) or the gross caloric value (GCV) and the LHV is also
known as the net heating value (NHV) or the net caloric value (NCV).

More completely defined, the HHV is the amount of heat released when a unit amount
of fuel at a given initial temperature (usually 20°C or 25°C) is completely combusted at
stoichiometric conditions and constant pressure with the combustion products being cooled
to the initial temperature and any water vapor produced being condensed. Condensing any
water vapor produced during determination of the HHV therefore means that the HHV
includes the standard heat of vaporization (ΔH° V) of the water produced.

The LHV is similarly defined except that any water in the combustion products is not
condensed and remains as a vapor. Thus, the LHV does not include the heat of
 vaporization of the water produced. Hence, the relation between the HHV and the LHV
may be simply expressed as:

LHV = HHV – n ΔH° V (19)

where n = moles of water formed based on the reaction

Fuel gases and fuel liquids usually contain little, if any, water. However, raw solid fuels
like coal, wood or peat and other hydrocarbons do contain significant amounts of water and
therefore should be accounted for the LHV determination (www.eoearth.org, 2013).

The quantity that can be obtained from the experiment is the standard gross internal
energy change of combustion. This quantity then should be converted into the standard
gross enthalpy change of combustion using the following equation,

The value for the net enthalpy of combustion can then be determined as follows,

where (a positive value) can be obtained from the correlation given in the
handbook (p. 2-155). The value obtained from the calculations will then be compared to
the theoretical value – 4.9809x109 J/kmol (p. 2-199) obtained from the handbook so as to
assess the accuracy of the experiment performed.

III. MATERIALS AND APPARATUS

a. Materials and Reagent
Distilled water – minimum of 3500 mL
Distilled/de-ionized water – for washing purposes
Benzoic acid – minimum of 0.5 g
Naphthalene – minimum of 0.5 g
Platinum fuse

b. Laboratory Equipment
Bomb calorimeter wire cutter/scissor
Sample pelleter digital weighing scale
Oxygen tank stop watch
Volume measuring equipment clean towel
Long stem thermometer

IV. PROCEDURE
a. Precautions
a.1 Oxygen pressure should not exceed 590 psig (40 atm)
a.2 Sample mass should not exceed 1.5 g
 a.3 Do not fire the bomb if gas bubbles are released at any point on the bomb when it
is submerged in water
a.4 Stand away from the bomb during firing and do not handle the bomb for at least
20 seconds after firing
a.5 Report any signs of weaknesses or deterioration of the bomb immediately

b. Preparation of sample (benzoic acid)

b.1 Weigh a specified amount of sample (approximately 0.5 grams)
b.2 Form it into a pellet using the sample pelletizer
b.3 To facilitate complete combustion, the particle size should be 60 mesh or smaller
before pelleting and must contain moisture, optimum amount to be determined
experimentally

c. Filling of the calorimeter with water

c.1 Measure 3000 mL of distilled water and fill the bucket where the bomb is to be
placed
c.2 Measure the water temperature, secure that it should be approximately 25 ± 0.3 °C
so that standard heat of reaction can be obtained

d. Attaching the Platinum fuse

d.1 Cut a 7-cm length of fuse and weigh it
d.2 Set the bomb head on the support stand and fasten the fuse between the two
electrodes

e. Securing of sample in the bomb head

e.1 Place the bomb head in the support stand
e.2 Place the pelleted sample in the steel capsule
e.3 Bend the fuse toward the top surface of the sample firmly enough to keep it from
sliding against the side of the capsule

f. Closing the bomb

f.1 Move the bomb head, with care not to disturb the sample, from the support stand
to the bomb cylinder
f.2 Slide the bomb head into the cylinder and push it down as far as it will go without
twisting and while the gas release valve is open
f.3 Set the screw cap on the cylinder and turn it down firmly by hand until very tight

g. Filling the bomb with Oxygen

g.1 Open the control valve at the top of the bomb.
g.2 Secure tightly the hose from the Oxygen tank to the control valve
g.3 Open the oxygen tank valve not more than one quarter turn
g.4 Open the filling connection control valve slowly and watch the pressure gauge
rise to the desired filling pressure (100-120 psig)
g.5 Close the control valve.

h. Pre-firing
 h.1 Push the two ignition wires into the terminal sockets on the bomb head
h.2 Place the oxygen-filled bomb slowly in the center of the bucket filled with water
h.3 Check for any gas leakage by observing for continuous production of air bubbles.
If excessive leakage is detected, remove the bomb from the water, release the
pressure and fix the leak.
h.4 Close the cover and seat the cover snugly against the calorimetr
h.5 Lower the thermometer and turn on the stirrer for 6 minutes, getting temperature
readings every 30 seconds

i. Firing of the bomb

i.1 Plug the ignition unit to the power source. Turn on the the ignition unit, a red
indicator light will turn on. Stand back and press the firing button for 1-2 seconds.
i.2 Record the temperature every 30 seconds up to 12 minutes after firing. Record
also the time after firing when the first increase in temperature occurred.

j. Recovery of the combustion products

j.1 After the temperature measurements, turn off the stirrer. Make sure all electrical
connections are unplugged.
j.2 Open the calorimeter cover and lift the bomb and wipe with clean towel.
j.3 Go outside the room and open the gas release valve gradually to get rid of residual
gas pressure before removing the screw cap. Observe the gas.
j.4 Unscrew the cap, lift the bomb head and place it in the support stand.
j.5 Examine the interior of the bomb for soot or other evidence of incomplete
combustion. If such is discovered the test may be discarded.
j.6 Measure the weight of the capsule filled with the incomplete combustion
products.
j.7 Recover any unburned Pt fuse and weigh.
j.7 Wash all the interior surfaces of the bomb and the combustion capsule with
distilled water. The washings can be titrated if needed to determine sulfur and
other elements
j.8 Weigh the fuse.

k. Perform steps b to j using the sample solid naphthalene.

l. Perform a second trial for naphthalene.

m. Clean and organize the laboratory for the use of the next group
V. ILLUSTRATION OF SET-UP:
Fig. 12 – Platinum wire left after combustion. Fig. 13 – Black residue formed
after combustion of naphthalene.
VI. DATA, ANALYSES AND RESULTS

Table 1 – Mass and Temperature of the different materials/reagents for the calorimeter
calibration experiment.

Mass of unpelletized benzoic acid (g) 0.5204

Mass of pelletized benzoic acid (g) 0.4802
Mass of benzoic acid combusted (g) 0.4789
Mass of Platinum fuse (g) 0.0129
Mass of Platinum fuse left after combustion (g) 0.0060
Mass of Platinum fuse combusted (g) 0.0069
Mass of empty capsule (g) 12.8065
Mass of capsule + soot (black residue) (g) 12.8078
(J/kg) - 26434512
(J/kg) -673616.1156
Temperature of water utilized to produce 3000 mL water at T1 = 25.5 °C
25°C (°C) T2 = 8.2 °C
Volume of water utilized to produce 3000 mL water at 25°C V1 = 2913
(mL) V2 = 87
T0 (°C) 25.0
T6 (°C) 25.0
T12 (°C) 25.5
T18 (°C) 25.5
△Tcalorimeter (°C or K) 0.5
CV,calorimeter (J/kg) 25328.2715

Table 2 – Temperature readings for the 6 minute – water temperature stabilization period.

Time (min:sec) T (°C)

0:00 25.0
0:30 25.0
1:00 25.0
1:30 25.0
2:00 25.0
2:30 25.0
3:00 25.0
3:30 25.0
4:00 25.0
4:30 25.0
5:00 25.0
5:30 25.0
6:00 25.0
 Table 3 – Temperature readings for the 12 minute – firing period.

Time (min:sec) T(°C)

0:00 25.0
0:30 25.1
1:00 25.1
1:30 25.1
2:00 25.2
2:30 25.3
3:00 25.4
3:30 25.5
4:00 25.5
4:30 25.5
5:00 25.5
5:30 25.5
6:00 25.5
6:30 25.5
7:00 25.5
7:30 25.5
8:00 25.5
8:30 25.5
9:00 25.5
9:30 25.5
10:00 25.5
10:30 25.5
11:00 25.5
11:30 25.5
12:00 25.5

Note:
Temperature increased from 25.0 to 25.1°C 11 seconds after firing the bomb.
 Table 4 – Mass and Temperature of the different materials/reagents in the determination
of of naphthalene.

Mass and Temperature of the different materials/reagents Trial 1 Trial 2

Mass of unpelletized naphthalene (g) 0.5051 0.5071

Mass of pelletized naphthalene (g) 0.4653 0.4658
Mass of naphthalene combusted (g) 0.4620 0.4622
Mass of Platinum fuse (g) 0.0121 0.0118
Mass of Platinum fuse left after combustion (g) 0.0056 0.0056
Mass of Platinum fuse combusted (g) 0.0065 0.0062
Mass of empty capsule (g) 12.6693 12.6662
Mass of capsule + soot (black residue) (g) 12.6697 12.6698
Temperature of water utilized to produce 3000 mL water at T1 = 25.5 T1 = 25.5
25°C (°C) T2 = 8.2 T2 = 8.2
Volume of water utilized to produce 3000 mL water at V1 = 2913 V1 = 2913
25°C (mL) V2 = 87 V2 = 87
T0 (°C) 25.3 25.2
T6 (°C) 25.3 25.2
T12 (°C) 26.1 26
T18 (°C) 26.2 26.1
△Tcalorimeter (°C or K) 0.71667 0.71667
gross (J/mol) -5034609.426 -5032486.924
gross (J/mol) -5039567.362 -5037444.860
net (J/mol) -4864091.879 -4861969.377
Table 5 – Temperature readings for 6 minute – water temperature stabilization period.

T(°C)
Time (min:sec)
Trial 1 Trial 2
0 25.3 25.2
0:30 25.3 25.2
1:00 25.3 25.2
1:30 25.3 25.2
2:00 25.3 25.2
2:30 25.3 25.2
3:00 25.3 25.2
3:30 25.3 25.2
4:00 25.3 25.2
4:30 25.3 25.2
5:00 25.3 25.2
5:30 25.3 25.2
6:00 25.3 25.2

Table 6 – Temperature readings for the 12 minute – firing period.

T(°C)
Time (min:sec)
Trial 1 Trial 2
0 25.3 25.2
0:30 25.35 25.3
1:00 25.4 25.3
1:30 25.4 25.3
2:00 25.4 25.3
2:30 25.45 25.3
3:00 25.45 25.3
3:30 25.45 25.3
4:00 25.5 25.4
4:30 26.0 25.5
5:00 26.1 25.5
5:30 26.1 26.0
6:00 26.1 26.0
6:30 26.15 26.0
7:00 26.15 26.0
7:30 26.15 26.0
8:00 26.2 26.0
8:30 26.2 26.0
9:00 26.2 26.0
 9:30 26.2 26.0
10:00 26.2 26.0
10:30 26.2 26.1
11:00 26.2 26.1
11:30 26.2 26.1
12:00 26.2 26.1

Note:
For Trial 1: Temperature increased from 25.3 to 25.35°C 12 seconds after firing the bomb.
For Trial 2: Temperature increased from 25.2 to 25.3°C 14 seconds after firing the bomb.
Calculations:

A. Calibration of the calorimeter using benzoic acid

1. Calculating V1 and V2 for obtaining 3000 mL of water at 25.0 ± 0.3°C

Let X = V1 and 3000 – X = V2

V1 3000 mL
BUCKET
25.5°C 25.0°C

V2
8.2°C

m
By enthalpy balance,

But 𝜌1 = 𝜌2 = 𝜌3 and CV1 = CV2 = CV3 thus leaving us with the equation

(A)

Letting the reference temperature be 8.2°C and using eqn. (A)

2. Calculating △U° for the combustion of benzoic acid (△U°C,C6H5COOH):

For the combustion of benzoic acid,

C6H5COOH (s) + 15/2 O2 (g) → 7 CO2 (g) + 3 H2O (l)
3. Calculating for the combustion of platinum fuse (△U°C,Pt):

For the combustion of Pt,

Pt (s) + O2 (g) → PtO2 (s)

For the reaction of platinum with O2,

(Note: the enthalpies of formation for both Pt (s) and O2 (g) are zero since these are the
stable forms of platinum and oxygen respectively at the standard state).

4. Solving for and (steel bomb and water):

Solving for :

Solving for

B. Determination of of naphthalene

For both trials, the water utilized to obtain 25±0.3°C were of the same temperature,
that is, 25.5 and 8.2 °C.

Calculating V1 and V2 for obtaining 3000 mL of water at 25.0 ± 0.3°C

Let X = V1 and 3000 – X = V2

V1 3000 mL
BUCKET
25.5°C 25.0°C

V2

8.2°C
By enthalpy balance,
m

But 𝜌1 = 𝜌2 = 𝜌3 and CV1 = CV2 = CV3 thus leaving us with the equation

(A)

Letting the reference temperature be 8.2°C and using eqn. (A)

Trial 1:
1. Solving for the gross :

Solving for the , and :

Solving for :

2. Solving for the gross :

Reaction of Naphthalene with O2: C10H8(s) + 12O2(g) → 10CO2(g) + 4 H2O(l)

3. Solving for the standard enthalpy of vaporization of water ( :

From the handbook, p. 2-155, Table 2-150,

Where C1 = 5.2053 x 107 C2 = 0.3199 C3 = -0.212 C4 = 0.25795

From the handbook, p.2-142, Table 2-141,

TC = 647.096 K

Substituting the values in the equation leads to,

4. Solving for the net :

5. Calculating for the percent error:

Trial 2:

1. Solving for the gross :

Solving for the , and :

Solving for :

2. Solving for the gross :

Reaction of Naphthalene with O2: C10H8(s) + 12O2(g) → 10CO2(g) + 4 H2O(l)

 3. Solving for the net :

4. Calculating for the percent error:

Analyses:

From the data for the firing period of benzoic acid, it takes a short period of time (11 s)
for the water temperature to rise from its pre-firing value. This is because heat is
immediately released during the combustion of benzoic acid, thereby attesting that it is
indeed an exothermic reaction. In addition, the heat of combustion released during the
experiment as observed from the calculations was largely due to the combustion of benzoic
acid, with the combustion of the platinum fuse relatively small compared to it.
Based on literature, the temperature vs. time graph for bomb calorimeter experiments
can be divided into three distinct portions; the pre-period (the time period at which the
calorimeter parts are allowed to come to equilibrium), rise period (the time period at which
the sample is burned) and the post-period (the time period at which the calorimeter comes
again to thermal equilibrium). Ideally, the graph should resemble the illustration below
(web.williams.edu, 2013):
 Fig. 12 – Temperature vs. time graph for bomb calorimeter experiments.

From the experimental results, we can see that the graph obtained resembled Fig. 12.
Slight deviations however are observed during the preperiod since water utilized was
stabilized first to reach a final stable value before firing the sample. Deviations in the rise
period were also noticed. Such deviations may be accounted for the incomplete combustion
of the sample benzoic acid (as marked by the black residue left in the capsule). Benzoic
acid has not burned completely due to insufficient oxygen supply because of gas leakage as
marked by the bubbles forming in the water when the bomb was immersed in it. These
inaccuracies are due to the fact that the calorimeter utilized was a fabricated one and not
the standard (Parr bomb calorimeter). Formation of liquid water (condensate) was also
noticed in the interior walls of the bomb calorimeter, proving that combustion of benzoic
acid really produces water in the liquid form.

The values for , and as shown for this calibration

experiment somewhat agree with the values obtained from the first experiment. The
relative differences may be due to the differing mass of burned platinum fuse, differing
mass of benzoic acid combusted, varying degree of combustion of benzoic acid (indicated
by differing amounts of benzoic acid left after the combustion period), and of course due to
the nonadiabaticity of the calorimeter itself. These differences affected the amount of
energy released during combustion and hence affected the magnitude of

For the determination of the net enthalpy of combustion for naphthalene, the
temperature, similar to that of benzene, increased rapidly (12s and 14s respectively) from
the initial values of 25.30C and 25.20C to the final values of 25.350C to 25.30C respectively
for the first and second trials. These magnitudes of time are somewhat greater than that for
benzene which was 11s only. These effects may be attributed to the difference in the form
of both compounds subjected to heat. Benzene utilized in the experiment was already in
powder form and hence the pellet was comprised of fine powders, leading to faster
 combustion the moment heat was applied to it whereas naphthalene used was crystalline
and hence the pellets were comprised of larger particles, leading to slower combustion.

From the experimental results, we can see that the two graphs for naphthalene
combustion obtained as well resembled Fig. 12. Slight deviations however are observed
during the preperiod since water utilized was stabilized first to reach a final stable value
before firing the samples. Deviations in the rise period were also noticed. Such deviations
may be accounted for the incomplete combustion of the sample naphthalene (as marked by
the black residue left in the capsule). Naphthalene, like benzoic acid has not burned
completely due to insufficient oxygen supply because of gas leakage as marked by the
bubbles forming in the water when the bomb was immersed in it. Formation of liquid water
(condensate) was also noticed in the interior walls of the bomb calorimeter, proving that
combustion of benzoic acid really produces water in the liquid form and hence the values
of and directly obtained or calculated are the gross values.

As noticed, the temperature rise obtained for both trials for naphthalene (0.71667 K) are
higher than that for benzene (0.5 K). This is due to the fact that there are more carbon
atoms in naphthalene than in benzoic acid and hence greater energy was released when the
naphthalene samples were combusted, leading to the observed greater increase in
temperature.

Values obtained for the gross , gross and net for naphthalene
somewhat agree with each other, showing that the experiment was, in a manner, done
accurately. Calculation of percentage errors for the net for both trials (2.34512% and
2.38773%) further attest the relative accuracy of the experiment. The differences between
the values may be attributed to factors like incomplete combustion, nonadiabaticity of the
calorimeter, different mass of naphthalene and platinum fuse burned and inevitable human
errors such as in reading the temperature from the thermometer.

VII. CONCLUSIONS

Several factors may affect the calibration or determination of the CV of a bomb

calorimeter. The water temperature for instance should be stabilized. As much as possible,
it should be close to 25oC (25.0 ± 0.3oC) so as to accurately obtain the correct standard
enthalpy of combustion for benzoic acid and hence obtaining a CV value for the calorimeter
at 25oC (25.0 ± 0.3oC) as well. Also, the platinum wire should be secured in a way such
that it will be in close proximity to the benzoic acid for the sample to surely burn when
ignited. There are instances that the water temperature may not rise after sample ignition
because the sample was actually not ignited. Also, a certain pressure or amount of oxygen
should be supplied into the bomb so as to assure complete combustion and that the bomb
should be sealed or closed tightly once the oxygen is introduced. For the case of benzoic
acid, pressure of oxygen supplied should be 100-120 psig. Leakage of oxygen should be as
much as possible prevented so that the sample will burn completely. Unburned sample will
account for lower amount of heat released during combustion and hence will significantly
affect CV value determination. Heat within the calorimeter should also be uniformly
distributed and hence mechanical stirring of the water is required. Lastly, due to the
 relative nonadiabaticity of the calorimeter, a correction factor for the change in temperature
of the calorimeter should therefore be accounted.

For naphthalene, factors that may affect the determination of the net include
incomplete combustion of the sample, nonadiabaticity of the calorimeter, different mass of
naphthalene and platinum fuse burned and some inevitable human errors. The slower
increase in temperature for the combustion of naphthalene (compared to that of benzoic
acid) is due to the crystalline form of the compound used in the experiment. The greater
magnitude for the increase in temperature observed for naphthalene however (compared to
that of benzoic acid) is due to the relatively greater number of carbon atoms it possesses.
Calculation of the net is not a straightforward manner since the values obtained after
the experiment are the gross values for and . Therefore, one needs to understand
completely the difference between gross and net heating values and must be careful in
converting one quantity to another.

VIII. REFERENCES

http://cartwright.chem.ox.ac.uk/tlab/experiments/201.pdf

http://web.williams.edu/wp-
etc/chemistry/epeacock/EPL_CHEM_366/366_LAB_WEB/Expt_2_Bomb.pdf

http://www.chem.hope.edu/~polik/Chem345-
1997/calorimetry/bombcalorimetry1.html

http://www.csun.edu/~jeloranta/CHEM351L/experiment1.pdf

http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/175059/

http://www.science.uwaterloo.ca/~cchieh/cact/c120/calorimetry.html

Perry, R.H. & Green, D.W. 2008. Perry’s Chemical Engineers’ Handbook, 8th ed.,
China: McGraw – Hill, pp. 2-142, 2-155, 2-199.

Prepared by:

STEPHEN G. ABELADA Group No.: 1

BS ChE V Section No.: 2
Evaluated by:
ENGR. JOHN MARVIN C. MALONES
Instructor

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