Twickel said:
how do different calorimeters give more accurate results? Im using a beaker and a copper cup to heat water .
To improve the accuracy of calorimetry measurements, various factors must be taken into account:
Insulation
The calorimeter vessel must be insulated to avoid heat losses to the environment so that the measurement of temperature change is as accurate as possible. The usual approach is to use an insulator that absorbs little heat: one with a high specific heat capacity. Common materials used, along with their specific heat capacities, in J/K/g include polystyrene (1.3), polyethylene (2.2), cork (2.0), paper (1.9), wool (1.4) and air (1.0). In comparison, glass has a specific heat capacity of 0.6 J/K/g.
Thermal capacity
When heat is liberated from a reaction, it is absorbed not only by the products, but also by the reaction vessel. Each of these has a different mass and specific heat capacity and therefore, different thermal capacities. Accurate experimentation requires calculating the heat that each of these materials absorbs. For example, consider 50g calorimeters made of glass or copper. If a reaction in these vessels causes a temperature rise in the water and the vessel of 1oC, then the heat gained by these vessels is 30J and 20J, respectively.
Thermal conductivity
The previous example assumed that the reaction solution and vessel both reached the same temperature during the experiment. This is probably true for the copper calorimeter, with its high thermal conductivity of 401 J/s/K/m. However, other materials used, along with their low thermal conductivities in J/s/K/m, include glass (1), polystyrene (0.08), polyethylene (0.3), water (0.6), air (0.02) and cork (0.05). Thus, a polystyrene foam calorimeter would absorb a negligible amount of heat during an experiment, making it an ideal material for a high-school calorimetry experiment.
Amongst other things....