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Chemistry
9.2 - Measuring Enthalpy Changes
81
•
5 Dec 2025
•
Measuring enthalpy changes might sound complicated, but it's actually just... Show more
The foundation of measuring enthalpy changes is the heat energy equation: q = mcΔT. This formula calculates the heat energy in Joules that's transferred into or out of a material during a reaction.
Here's what each letter represents: q is the heat energy in Joules, m is the mass of the material in grams, c is the specific heat capacity, and ΔT is the temperature change in Kelvin. For water, which you'll use in most experiments, the specific heat capacity is always 4.18 J g⁻¹K⁻¹.
Quick Tip: Remember that temperature change in Celsius equals temperature change in Kelvin, so you don't need to convert your temperature readings!
Once you've calculated q in Joules, you need to convert it to the standard kJ mol⁻¹ format that appears in exams. This involves a simple four-step process that becomes second nature with practice.
First, convert Joules to kilojoules by dividing by 1000. Then calculate the number of moles of the substance in your system - this could be fuel, limiting reagent, water, or product formed depending on your experiment.
Next, scale up from your calculated moles to 1 mole using the formula: ΔH = q (in kJ) × . Finally, add the correct sign: positive for endothermic reactions (absorbing heat) and negative for exothermic reactions (releasing heat).
Exam Focus: Most reactions you'll encounter are exothermic, so expect negative ΔH values in your answers!
Combustion experiments use a spirit burner and conductive calorimeter to measure enthalpy of combustion. In this methanol example, 150 cm³ of water was heated from 21.5°C to 62.5°C whilst burning methanol.
The calculation follows our standard steps: q = 150 × 4.18 × (62.5 - 21.5) = 25,707 J = 25.707 kJ. The mass of methanol burned was 1.60g (196.97 - 195.37), giving 0.05 moles when divided by methanol's molar mass of 32.
Scaling up to 1 mole: ΔcH = 25.707 × (1/0.05) = -514 kJ mol⁻¹. The negative sign indicates this combustion reaction releases energy, which makes sense for burning fuel.
Practical Tip: Always weigh the spirit burner before and after to find the exact mass of fuel burned!
Displacement reactions like zinc replacing copper use insulated calorimeters to measure enthalpy changes. Here, 50 cm³ of 1.00 mol/dm³ CuSO₄ solution reacted with zinc, heating the solution from 22.5°C to 60.5°C.
The heat calculation gives: q = 50 × 4.18 × (60.5 - 22.5) = 7,942 J = 7.942 kJ. The moles of limiting reagent (CuSO₄) = 0.05 mol from the volume and concentration given.
Scaling to standard conditions: ΔrH = 7.942 × (1/0.05) = -159 kJ mol⁻¹. This negative value shows the displacement reaction releases energy when zinc displaces copper from solution.
Remember: Use the limiting reagent's moles for scaling - this is usually determined by the reaction equation!
When two solutions mix in precipitation or neutralisation reactions, you add their volumes together for the mass calculation. This example shows a silver nitrate precipitation where the total volume becomes 25 cm³.
The temperature rose from 19.5°C to 47.5°C, giving ΔT = 28°C. Using our formula: q = 25 × 4.18 × 28 = 2,926 J = 2.926 kJ. The moles of AgNO₃ = 0.025 × 0.512 = 0.0128 mol.
The scaling calculation becomes: ΔrH = 2.926 × (2/0.0128) = -457 kJ mol⁻¹. Notice the factor of 2 in the scaling - this comes from the balanced equation showing the stoichiometric ratio.
Key Point: Always check the balanced equation to get the correct mole ratio for scaling!
Cooling curves help you get more accurate ΔH values by accounting for heat loss to surroundings. You plot temperature against time and extrapolate back to find what the maximum temperature would have been without heat loss.
The graph shows temperature rising sharply when reactants mix, then gradually falling as heat escapes. By drawing a line back from the cooling section, you can estimate the true maximum temperature that would occur in a perfectly insulated system.
This technique is particularly important for slower reactions where significant cooling occurs before you can measure the peak temperature. Using the corrected temperature gives you a more accurate enthalpy value.
Exam Technique: You might need to read maximum temperature values from cooling curve graphs, so practise interpreting these diagrams!
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The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.
Stefan S
iOS user
This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.
Samantha Klich
Android user
Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.
Anna
iOS user
Best app on earth! no words because it’s too good
Thomas R
iOS user
Just amazing. Let's me revise 10x better, this app is a quick 10/10. I highly recommend it to anyone. I can watch and search for notes. I can save them in the subject folder. I can revise it any time when I come back. If you haven't tried this app, you're really missing out.
Basil
Android user
This app has made me feel so much more confident in my exam prep, not only through boosting my own self confidence through the features that allow you to connect with others and feel less alone, but also through the way the app itself is centred around making you feel better. It is easy to navigate, fun to use, and helpful to anyone struggling in absolutely any way.
David K
iOS user
The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!
Sudenaz Ocak
Android user
In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.
Greenlight Bonnie
Android user
very reliable app to help and grow your ideas of Maths, English and other related topics in your works. please use this app if your struggling in areas, this app is key for that. wish I'd of done a review before. and it's also free so don't worry about that.
Rohan U
Android user
I know a lot of apps use fake accounts to boost their reviews but this app deserves it all. Originally I was getting 4 in my English exams and this time I got a grade 7. I didn’t even know about this app three days until the exam and it has helped A LOT. Please actually trust me and use it as I’m sure you too will see developments.
Xander S
iOS user
THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮
Elisha
iOS user
This apps acc the goat. I find revision so boring but this app makes it so easy to organize it all and then you can ask the freeeee ai to test yourself so good and you can easily upload your own stuff. highly recommend as someone taking mocks now
Paul T
iOS user
The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.
Stefan S
iOS user
This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.
Samantha Klich
Android user
Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.
Anna
iOS user
Best app on earth! no words because it’s too good
Thomas R
iOS user
Just amazing. Let's me revise 10x better, this app is a quick 10/10. I highly recommend it to anyone. I can watch and search for notes. I can save them in the subject folder. I can revise it any time when I come back. If you haven't tried this app, you're really missing out.
Basil
Android user
This app has made me feel so much more confident in my exam prep, not only through boosting my own self confidence through the features that allow you to connect with others and feel less alone, but also through the way the app itself is centred around making you feel better. It is easy to navigate, fun to use, and helpful to anyone struggling in absolutely any way.
David K
iOS user
The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!
Sudenaz Ocak
Android user
In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.
Greenlight Bonnie
Android user
very reliable app to help and grow your ideas of Maths, English and other related topics in your works. please use this app if your struggling in areas, this app is key for that. wish I'd of done a review before. and it's also free so don't worry about that.
Rohan U
Android user
I know a lot of apps use fake accounts to boost their reviews but this app deserves it all. Originally I was getting 4 in my English exams and this time I got a grade 7. I didn’t even know about this app three days until the exam and it has helped A LOT. Please actually trust me and use it as I’m sure you too will see developments.
Xander S
iOS user
THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮
Elisha
iOS user
This apps acc the goat. I find revision so boring but this app makes it so easy to organize it all and then you can ask the freeeee ai to test yourself so good and you can easily upload your own stuff. highly recommend as someone taking mocks now
Paul T
iOS user
Measuring enthalpy changes might sound complicated, but it's actually just about calculating how much heat energy gets absorbed or released during chemical reactions. You'll use a straightforward formula and follow clear steps to work out these values, which are essential... Show more
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The foundation of measuring enthalpy changes is the heat energy equation: q = mcΔT. This formula calculates the heat energy in Joules that's transferred into or out of a material during a reaction.
Here's what each letter represents: q is the heat energy in Joules, m is the mass of the material in grams, c is the specific heat capacity, and ΔT is the temperature change in Kelvin. For water, which you'll use in most experiments, the specific heat capacity is always 4.18 J g⁻¹K⁻¹.
Quick Tip: Remember that temperature change in Celsius equals temperature change in Kelvin, so you don't need to convert your temperature readings!
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Improve your grades
Join milions of students
By signing up you accept Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
Once you've calculated q in Joules, you need to convert it to the standard kJ mol⁻¹ format that appears in exams. This involves a simple four-step process that becomes second nature with practice.
First, convert Joules to kilojoules by dividing by 1000. Then calculate the number of moles of the substance in your system - this could be fuel, limiting reagent, water, or product formed depending on your experiment.
Next, scale up from your calculated moles to 1 mole using the formula: ΔH = q (in kJ) × . Finally, add the correct sign: positive for endothermic reactions (absorbing heat) and negative for exothermic reactions (releasing heat).
Exam Focus: Most reactions you'll encounter are exothermic, so expect negative ΔH values in your answers!
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Improve your grades
Join milions of students
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Combustion experiments use a spirit burner and conductive calorimeter to measure enthalpy of combustion. In this methanol example, 150 cm³ of water was heated from 21.5°C to 62.5°C whilst burning methanol.
The calculation follows our standard steps: q = 150 × 4.18 × (62.5 - 21.5) = 25,707 J = 25.707 kJ. The mass of methanol burned was 1.60g (196.97 - 195.37), giving 0.05 moles when divided by methanol's molar mass of 32.
Scaling up to 1 mole: ΔcH = 25.707 × (1/0.05) = -514 kJ mol⁻¹. The negative sign indicates this combustion reaction releases energy, which makes sense for burning fuel.
Practical Tip: Always weigh the spirit burner before and after to find the exact mass of fuel burned!
Access to all documents
Improve your grades
Join milions of students
By signing up you accept Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
Displacement reactions like zinc replacing copper use insulated calorimeters to measure enthalpy changes. Here, 50 cm³ of 1.00 mol/dm³ CuSO₄ solution reacted with zinc, heating the solution from 22.5°C to 60.5°C.
The heat calculation gives: q = 50 × 4.18 × (60.5 - 22.5) = 7,942 J = 7.942 kJ. The moles of limiting reagent (CuSO₄) = 0.05 mol from the volume and concentration given.
Scaling to standard conditions: ΔrH = 7.942 × (1/0.05) = -159 kJ mol⁻¹. This negative value shows the displacement reaction releases energy when zinc displaces copper from solution.
Remember: Use the limiting reagent's moles for scaling - this is usually determined by the reaction equation!
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Improve your grades
Join milions of students
By signing up you accept Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
When two solutions mix in precipitation or neutralisation reactions, you add their volumes together for the mass calculation. This example shows a silver nitrate precipitation where the total volume becomes 25 cm³.
The temperature rose from 19.5°C to 47.5°C, giving ΔT = 28°C. Using our formula: q = 25 × 4.18 × 28 = 2,926 J = 2.926 kJ. The moles of AgNO₃ = 0.025 × 0.512 = 0.0128 mol.
The scaling calculation becomes: ΔrH = 2.926 × (2/0.0128) = -457 kJ mol⁻¹. Notice the factor of 2 in the scaling - this comes from the balanced equation showing the stoichiometric ratio.
Key Point: Always check the balanced equation to get the correct mole ratio for scaling!
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Join milions of students
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Cooling curves help you get more accurate ΔH values by accounting for heat loss to surroundings. You plot temperature against time and extrapolate back to find what the maximum temperature would have been without heat loss.
The graph shows temperature rising sharply when reactants mix, then gradually falling as heat escapes. By drawing a line back from the cooling section, you can estimate the true maximum temperature that would occur in a perfectly insulated system.
This technique is particularly important for slower reactions where significant cooling occurs before you can measure the peak temperature. Using the corrected temperature gives you a more accurate enthalpy value.
Exam Technique: You might need to read maximum temperature values from cooling curve graphs, so practise interpreting these diagrams!
Our AI Companion is a student-focused AI tool that offers more than just answers. Built on millions of Knowunity resources, it provides relevant information, personalised study plans, quizzes, and content directly in the chat, adapting to your individual learning journey.
You can download the app from Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
That's right! Enjoy free access to study content, connect with fellow students, and get instant help – all at your fingertips.
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The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.
Stefan S
iOS user
This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.
Samantha Klich
Android user
Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.
Anna
iOS user
Best app on earth! no words because it’s too good
Thomas R
iOS user
Just amazing. Let's me revise 10x better, this app is a quick 10/10. I highly recommend it to anyone. I can watch and search for notes. I can save them in the subject folder. I can revise it any time when I come back. If you haven't tried this app, you're really missing out.
Basil
Android user
This app has made me feel so much more confident in my exam prep, not only through boosting my own self confidence through the features that allow you to connect with others and feel less alone, but also through the way the app itself is centred around making you feel better. It is easy to navigate, fun to use, and helpful to anyone struggling in absolutely any way.
David K
iOS user
The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!
Sudenaz Ocak
Android user
In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.
Greenlight Bonnie
Android user
very reliable app to help and grow your ideas of Maths, English and other related topics in your works. please use this app if your struggling in areas, this app is key for that. wish I'd of done a review before. and it's also free so don't worry about that.
Rohan U
Android user
I know a lot of apps use fake accounts to boost their reviews but this app deserves it all. Originally I was getting 4 in my English exams and this time I got a grade 7. I didn’t even know about this app three days until the exam and it has helped A LOT. Please actually trust me and use it as I’m sure you too will see developments.
Xander S
iOS user
THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮
Elisha
iOS user
This apps acc the goat. I find revision so boring but this app makes it so easy to organize it all and then you can ask the freeeee ai to test yourself so good and you can easily upload your own stuff. highly recommend as someone taking mocks now
Paul T
iOS user
The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.
Stefan S
iOS user
This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.
Samantha Klich
Android user
Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.
Anna
iOS user
Best app on earth! no words because it’s too good
Thomas R
iOS user
Just amazing. Let's me revise 10x better, this app is a quick 10/10. I highly recommend it to anyone. I can watch and search for notes. I can save them in the subject folder. I can revise it any time when I come back. If you haven't tried this app, you're really missing out.
Basil
Android user
This app has made me feel so much more confident in my exam prep, not only through boosting my own self confidence through the features that allow you to connect with others and feel less alone, but also through the way the app itself is centred around making you feel better. It is easy to navigate, fun to use, and helpful to anyone struggling in absolutely any way.
David K
iOS user
The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!
Sudenaz Ocak
Android user
In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.
Greenlight Bonnie
Android user
very reliable app to help and grow your ideas of Maths, English and other related topics in your works. please use this app if your struggling in areas, this app is key for that. wish I'd of done a review before. and it's also free so don't worry about that.
Rohan U
Android user
I know a lot of apps use fake accounts to boost their reviews but this app deserves it all. Originally I was getting 4 in my English exams and this time I got a grade 7. I didn’t even know about this app three days until the exam and it has helped A LOT. Please actually trust me and use it as I’m sure you too will see developments.
Xander S
iOS user
THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮
Elisha
iOS user
This apps acc the goat. I find revision so boring but this app makes it so easy to organize it all and then you can ask the freeeee ai to test yourself so good and you can easily upload your own stuff. highly recommend as someone taking mocks now
Paul T
iOS user
Sociology