A Summary Of Combustion Of Alkanol

OEI:

Method:
1. A beaker 100ml tripod
2. Thermometer inside water via retort stand
3. Record initial temperature of water
4. Fill spirit burner with 50ml of 1st fuel and weigh
5. Place spirit burner under the tripod
6. Light spirit burner and let burn under beaker of water for 30 seconds
7. Once 30 seconds is reached, record final temperature of water and put the lid on the spirit burner to stop flame and remove from apparatus
8. Weigh the spirit burner and record change in weight.
9. Repeat steps 1-8 with fuel 2,3,4 and the unknown respectively

Introduction

For this experiment, our team decided to identify the unknown alkanol through the process of heat of combustion. A beaker containing a known volume of water will be placed upon a tripod, with a spirit burner filled with 100ml of methane placed underneath. The heat released from the burning of the methane is transferred to the beaker of water. From the temperature change of the water and the mass change of the alkanol, the enthalpy change per mole of the alkanol can be calculated.

For the unknown alkanol, only the enthalpy change can be recorded, as the number of moles cannot be calculated of an unknown substance. The data will then be graphed, with the ∆h/m recorded on the y-axis of a graph, with C1-C8 recorded on the x-axis. The known alkanols will be graphed according to their chain length and ∆h/m. A line of best fit will then made. The unknown alkanol will then be plotted on the line of best fit depending on its