Figure 1
Introduction In this experiment, you will find and compare the heat generated by two different fuels: Paraffin wax and methanol. Paraffin is a member of a group of compounds called alkanes. Important alkanes used as fuels are gasoline and diesel oil. Methanol and Ethanol are used as gasoline additives and gasoline substitutes. In this experiment, we are going to compare the energy content of paraffin and methanol by measuring their heat of combustion. To determine the heat of combustion, we first burn paraffin and then methanol and calculate the heat generated by these two fuels by measuring the heat absorbed by a known amount of water: đ?‘„ = đ?‘šđ??śđ?‘? ∆đ?‘‡ (1)
Where: Q = The quantity of heat released or absorbed. m = The mass of the water. Cp = The heat capacity of water at fixed pressure. ď „T =The change in temperature.