How would a calorimeter constant be effected if it were made of glass instead of styrofoam?

Answer 1

The Calorimeter Constant is the energy in joules needed to increase the calorimeter container(glass beaker or styrofoam cup) by 1 degree Celsius. Glass has a lower specific heat capacity (J/g)x(Degrees Celsius)than styrofoam. Which means it takes less energy for glass to accumulate or lose heat than it does styrofoam. Therefore a glass calorimeter will have a lower calorimeter constant due to heat(energy) escaping. In a reaction that you're trying to measure change in heat in a solution, a styrofoam cup will hold in the reactions change in heat better and therefore you will be able to calculate the energy absorbed into the cup and add it to the energy calculated in the solutions reaction, while the energy or heat absorbed in the glass will already escaping and so it will be a lesser value(calorimeter constant) that is added to the energy in the solutions reaction..... This was hard to grasp since initially i thought the energy being released from the reaction, into the glass would mean it heats up the glass more than the styro cup, and i thought that it would have more energy to be added to the energy calculated in the reaction

Answer 2

If a calorimeter were made of glass instead of styrofoam, its calorimeter constant would likely be higher. This is because glass has a higher thermal conductivity compared to styrofoam, allowing for faster heat transfer between the system and its surroundings. As a result, the glass calorimeter would require a higher constant to account for this increased heat loss or gain.

Answer 3

I believe it will be lowered since metal have low heat capacity generally.