The Enthalpies of Combustion Essay Example for Free

The Enthalpies of Combustion EssayStandard enthalpy change of fire is the energy change that occurs when 1 mol of fuel is entirely burnt in oxygen at a lower place standard conditions. However, it is im feasible for centerfields to be burnt under standard conditions.The enthalpies of combustion argon different depending on the estimate of carbons and hydrogens in each substance. For example, the enthalpy combustion for methane is-890 kJ mol-1, however the enthalpy change of combustion for ethane or propane will be greater because more bonds are involved and therefore more bonds are broken and made. All combustion reactions are exothermic because energy is given out to make bonds.Figure 1 Exothermic reactionBefore you start doing calculations for enthalpy change of combustion you firstly need to balance the equation.For exampleMethane CH4 (g) + 2O2 (g) 2H2O (g) + CO2 (g)Also it is important to see to it when making a combustion reaction balanced equation that the state symb ols for all the substances are gaseous even water.Moreover, it is only in a combustion reaction that you use halves in an oxygen molecule. An example for octane is C8H12 (g) + 12.5O2 (g) 8CO2 (g) + 9H2O (g)Method for the enthalpy of combustion for various alcohols1. Set up a tri pod and place tiles well-nigh it.2. Fill up a metal calorimeter with 200 cm3 of water and place on the tri pod. Also, place a thermometer on the container.3. Record the reading on the thermometer of the temperature of the water.4. beseech the spirit burner containing the alcohol you are going to use and again record the reading.5. Place the spirit burner containing the alcohol under the tri pod and quickly as possible take the lid off and light a match on it.6. Wait till you will see a 15 degree increase on the thermometer.7. When you see a 15 degrees increase, place the lid back on the alcohol and stir the water well with the thermometer until you see there is no change in temperature.8. Weigh the alcohol and record the reading. Also record the reading of the temperature after it has increased.9. Repeat steps 1-8 for all different alcohols.Results obtained from taste wood spiritEthanolpropan-1-olButan-1-olPentan-1-olenthalpy change of combustion (kJmol-1)379.801071.231332.621715.822110.04Enthalpy change of combustion = (1/moles of alcohol burned) x enthalpy released during the ex.True results of alcohols that should be obtainedMethanolEthanolpropan-1-olButan-1-olPentan-1-olEnthalpy change of combustion (kJmol-1)-890.301559.702219.702876.503509.10From the results I obtained I can make a conclusion that the results were not very close to the true, this is because the experiment could not done under standard conditions like the other and therefore because of that some heat was lost to the surrounding.While I was carrying the experiment I realised that a black substance began to form underneath the colorimeter (container where the water was put in and heated up) which was carbon, meani ng there was incomplete combustion. This therefore effected the results I obtained because the combustion experiment was not complete.EvaluationExperimental delusionsIn any experiment, errors are made which are unavoidable. We can work out the errors of the equipments that were employ in the experiment to find out which has the most effect. It is then best to convert these errors in to percentages because it is easier to see which has the most effect on your results and which has the least percentage error. Percentage error = error / reading x 100.A balance has a precision error of 0.005. Next I will turn it to a percentage error.The balance was used to weigh the spirit burners of the 5 alcohols before using it in the experiment and after it was used to heat the water up.MethanolEthanolpropan-1-olButan-1-olPentan-1-olInitial megabucks of spirit burner / g198.56188.80180.66212.75189.62Percentage error/ %0.0030.0030.0030.0020.003MethanolEthanolpropan-1-olButan-1-olPentan-1-olFinal galvanic pile of spirit burner / g197.41188.16180.09212.08189.08Percentage error / %0.0030.0030.0030.0020.003Looking at the results in a higher place for the percentage errors, I can conclude that the balance did not effect the results I obtained as it gave me a small percentage error that was less than 1%. This ensures me that the measurements of the spirit burners that I obtained using the weighing balance where very accurate.Procedural errors* A thermometer was placed on the colorimeter and when reached to 500c and recorded the highest temperature by siring until there was no increase in temperature.* Keep lid on spirit burner to endure the alcohol did not evaporate to obtain a accurate measurement of the mass of alcohol combusted.* Draft exclusion made using insulating tiles. This is so less heat and temperate near the spirit burner that is lighted is relatively kept eonian and not effected by air coming from window or heat from radiator.