Experiment Testing The Heat of Combustion and The Energy...

The aim of this experiment was to test the heat of combustion over a period of time, and the energy required to combust alcohols with different carbon chain levels. It was hypothesised that the higher the carbon chain of the alcohol present, the faster the heat of combustion will occur. Meaning more energy will be released for a higher carbon chain. After calculating the results from the experiment it was found that the hypothesis was partially supported. The reasoning for this is as the alcohol that posses a higher carbon chain, generally increased there reaction rates. However there were a few exceptions to this rule. When conducting the experiment the results for each alcohol were where they were anticipated to be supporting the†¦show more content†¦This equation resulted in being left with a negative final percentage error. Which was easy to fix, as it just had to be turned into a positive for the final answer. It is evident to see how the theoretical results increase each time approximately -620 KJ/mol. This is as each carbon chain increases so does the amount of bonds associated with it. The results that were revealed were thought to be accurate and reliable as many factors were controlled to enable the best quality. The results that a constant rise in the combustion occurred as each alcohol’s carbon chain increased with one exception indicates that the reliability of this experiment has to be examined. With such a high percentage error from these results means they cant be definitive. Also only three trials were conducted on the five different alcohols. If the experiment were to be conducted again I would conduct five trials on each alcohol to get a better average. More thought could’ve been done when first conducting the experiment. A strategy that could have been implemented could have been the installation of insulation to the copper tin to reduce the amount of heat that escapes. If I was to do an experiment like this again I could use a different variable instead of alcohols. Instead I could investigate a chain of alkanes or alkenes, â€Å"in order to test alkenes I would have to look into the association double carbon bonds have with oneShow MoreRelated An Investigation into the Enthalpies of the Combustion of Alcohols3788 Words   |  16 PagesAn Investigation into the Enthalpies of the Combustion of Alcohols ================================================================== Planning My aim for this experiment is to see the energy produced from different alcohols. This investigation involves burning alcohol in the air. ‘GCSE Chemistry’ by B.Earl and L.D.R Wilford says that alcohols form, another homologous series, with the general formula Cn H2n+1OH . The alcohol reacts with the oxygen in the air to form the products waterRead MoreUse Of Diesohol As A Substitute For Diesel1670 Words   |  7 Pagesimproving the efficiency of diesel engines by developing and testing alternative fuels. Recent studies explore the use of diesohol as a substitute to diesel. Diesohol are classified as â€Å"a mixture of diesel fuel and anhydrous alcohol blended using a chemical emulsifier,† (Environmental Protection Agency, 2003).However a major concern regarding diesohol is both alcohols and diesel have dissimilar physical and chemical properties. Alcohols due to it being an oxygenate proved to burn cleanly and easily