What is the specific heat of 20% sulphuric acid solution?

Answer 1

The specific heat capacity of a 20% sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) solution can be estimated based on the specific heat capacities of its components (water and sulfuric acid) and their respective proportions in the solution. Here’s a step-by-step approach to estimate it:

1. **Components in the Solution**:

   • Sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄)

   • Water (H₂O)

2. **Specific Heat Capacities**:

   • The specific heat capacity of water (H₂O) is approximately 4.186 J/g°C.

   • The specific heat capacity of concentrated sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) is around 1.38 J/g°C.

3. **Calculation Method**:

   • A 20% sulfuric acid solution means that for every 100 g of solution, there are 20 g of sulfuric acid and 80 g of water.

4. **Estimation**:

   • To estimate the specific heat capacity of the solution, you can use a weighted average based on the proportions of water and sulfuric acid:

     [

     \text{Specific heat of solution} = (\text{% of water} \times \text{Specific heat of water}) + (\text{% of sulfuric acid} \times \text{Specific heat of sulfuric acid})

     ]

   • Given that 20% of the solution is sulfuric acid and 80% is water:

     [

     \text{Specific heat of 20% sulfuric acid solution} = (0.80 \times 4.186) + (0.20 \times 1.38)

     ]

   • Calculate the specific heat:

     [

     \text{Specific heat of 20% sulfuric acid solution} = (3.3488) + (0.276)

     ]

     [

     \text{Specific heat of 20% sulfuric acid solution} \approx 3.624 \text{ J/g°C}

     ]

Therefore, the specific heat capacity of a 20% sulfuric acid solution is approximately **3.624 J/g°C**. This estimation assumes ideal mixing and that the specific heat capacities of water and sulfuric acid are accurate for dilute solutions around this concentration.