Heat of Neutralization

Introduction

In this lab you will examine the heat of neutralization for the reaction of hydrochloric acid with sodium hydroxide. The heat of neutralization is defined as the quantity of heat evolved when one mole of acid or base is exactly neutralized. When an acid and a base react, the net result is the production of a salt and water. In this experiment, NaOH will neutralize the HCl in a reaction that produces sodium chloride (salt) and water:

HCl + NaOH → NaCl + H2O + heat

Most chemical reactions will have a heat transfer associated with them. If the reaction gives off heat it is exothermic and if it absorbs heat from it surroundings it is endothermic. The heat of reaction is usually defined as the amount of heat released or absorbed in a chemical reaction per mole of reacting substance.

First Law of Thermodynamics is the law of conservation of energy: "Energy can neither be created nor destroyed, only changed from one form into another."

For a closed constant mass system the first law of thermodynamics is often expressed as:

ΔU = Q - W

Where ΔU is the change of internal energy, Q is the heat added to the system and W is the work done by the system.

Enthalpy (H) is a property of a system and is equal to U + PV, where U is the internal energy of the system, P is the pressure, and V is the volume.

H = U + PV

In a chemical reaction, the enthalpy change is equal to the total enthalpy of the products minus the enthalpy of the reactants. This is known as Hess's Law. The following equation is used to determine the change in enthalpy in a chemical reaction:

ΔH = ΔH (products) - ΔH (Reactants)

When the products have a greater enthalpy than the reactants, ΔH is positive. In these situations, the higher enthalpy in the products results in the absorption of heat by the system, thus an endothermic reaction. If ΔH is negative, the reactants have more enthalpy and must "release" it on their way to becoming products.

In a constant pressure process the amount of heat transferred (Q) is equal to ΔH.

Q = ΔH

A calorimeter is an instrument for determining the amount of heat evolved, transferred or absorbed. In our case it will consist of a closed insulated vessel with a thermometer. Since our calorimeter is not a sealed vessel it can be assumed that the reaction will occur at a constant pressure (1 atm).

The amount heat transferred to or from a mass with a specific heat and a temperature change is:

Q = ΔH = mcΔT

where m is the mass solution in grams, c is specific heat capacity of our solution {4.184 J/(˚C g)} and ΔT = Tmax – Tinitial.

Heat of Neutralization (ΔHneut) = Q/moles of limiting reactant

In this experiment we will plot the pH and solution temperature against the amount of base added to produce a titration curve. The steepest point on the pH curve occurs at the equivalence point, when the acid is exactly neutralized. This also is the point of maximum temperature for the solution.


Heat of Neutralization

Procedure

**NOTE: Use instructions provide by the instructor – DO NOT USE INSTRUCTIONS IN CHEMLAB! To remove the instructions on the screen, and free-up more working area, perform the following operation: click on the OPTIONS tab; then click on LAB ONLY. The instructions “disappear” and all of the area is now lab space.**

Step 1: Obtain a calorimeter from the Equipment menu.

Step 2: Select the calorimeter and add 25 mL of 1M HCl using the Chemicals dialog box.

Step 3: Obtain a 50 mL buret from the Equipment menu.

Step 4: Select the buret and fill with 50 mL of 1 M NaOH, using the Chemicals dialog

box.

Step 5: Select the calorimeter and add a pH meter from the Equipment menu – this will

appear as a pH label below the calorimeter.

Step 6: Select the calorimeter and turn-on the collection of titration data using the

Procedure menu for Collect Titration Data.

Step 7: Select View Titration Data from the Procedures menu.

Step 8: Start titrating the NaOH into the calorimeter, you should see a plot of “mL(s)

titrate” vs pH and temperature in the Titration Data window.

Step 9: Titrate all the NaOH into the calorimeter – note the point at which the

temperature reaches it maximum.

Step 10: Provide a title for your titration curve by selecting options from the file menu.

Step 11: Copy the LABELED titration curve from the Titration data window to Word. Use the copy from the Titration data window's edit menu and paste into Word – print your titration curve.


Heat of Neutralization Name:______

Observations Section:______

Data

·  Initial solution temperature (˚C): ˚C

·  Maximum solution temperature (˚C): ˚C

Recall that the steepest point on the pH curve occurs at the equivalence point, that is, when the acid is exactly neutralized.

·  Total volume of NaOH titrated to reach end-point or neutralization: mL

(steepest point on the pH curve):

Calculations

1)  Calculate the mass of the solution, at the equivalence point, using the following formula:

Mass of solution (g) = (Volume of NaOH titrated (ml) + Volume of HCl (ml)) x density

Note: Assume a density of 1.038 g/mL for both NaOH and HCl

·  mass of the solution: g

2)  Calculate the total heat released by neutralization using the following formula:

Q = mcΔT

where Q is the heat released at the equivalence point, m is the mass solution in grams, c = specific heat capacity of our solution {4.184 J/(˚C g)} and ΔT = Tmax – Tinitial.

·  Total heat released by neutralization: J

3)  Calculate the Heat of Neutralization using the following relationships:

Heat of Neutralization = Q/moles of limiting reactant

Heat of Neutralization = Q/moles of NaOH titrated at neutralization

Heat of Neutralization = Q/(Molarity of NaOH x volume of NaOH (in litres))

·  Heat released by neutralization: kJ/mol

Questions

1) Define the system and the surroundings for the reaction studied in this experiment. Since water was one of the products, does it belong in the system or in the surroundings?

______

______

2) Why does the temperature increase, reach a maximum, and then decrease for this titration?

______

______

Discussion