Find out the difference in energy that is given out by the alcohols Methanol, Ethanol, Propanol and Butanol when they are burned under a tin of water for 3 minutes.

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Robbie Morgan        Alcohols Coursework

Aim: 

The aim of this work is to find out the difference in energy that is given out by the alcohols Methanol, Ethanol, Propanol and Butanol when they are burned under a tin of water for 3 minutes.

Plan:

The first thing I need to do is to collect and correctly set up the apparatus. Here is a diagram of how I plan to do this:

Here is the list of apparatus I am going to use:

Stand, boss and clamp

Spirit burner

Metal can

Thermometer

Electronic scales

Heat proof mat

Matches

I am going to use four different spirit burners each with a different alcohol in it. I am going to choose ones that look as if they have roughly the same amount of fuel in them to make the test fairer. I am using a metal can because it conducts heat better than a glass beaker and therefore it will give me a more accurate result. I will measure the temperature of the water to the nearest 0.5 of a degree because this is the smallest I can accurately measure with my naked eye on the thermometer available to me. I will use a stop clock to time 3 minutes for each experiment and I will also use the same amount of water each time (120 ml). In my preliminary work I discovered that 120 ml is the best amount because if you have less than that the water boils and if you have more it doesn’t get hot enough to record a difference between the alcohols in the 3 minutes. In order to make my results more accurate I will put the metal can of water as close to the flame as possible to make sure as little heat as possible is lost into the surrounding atmosphere. I will weigh the spirit burner before and after the experiment so I can see how much alcohol has been lost. To keep my results as accurate as possible I must only remove the lid just before I light the burner and replace it as soon as I extinguish it. This is to prevent alcohol evaporating into the surrounding atmosphere. I will need to place all my equipment on a heat proof map in case the burner falls or gets knocked over. I will also wear some sexy goggles throughout the whole experiment in case hot or boiling water spits out of the can.

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Preliminary Work

I have done some preliminary work to help me get the most accurate results for my experiment. I changed several factors. These were: Amount of water, length of time and height of water. I also measured the weight to see which combination of factors gave me greatest mass difference. From these experiments I discovered that the best amount of water was 120ml. I will be running the experiment for 3 minutes, as this is long enough to heat the water but not long enough for it to start to boil. I will also be placing ...

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