What Impact Does Mass Have on Measured Enthalpy of Solution

8 Pages • Essays / Projects • Year Uploaded: 2022

The dissolving of Sodium Acetate (CH3COONa) in water is an endothermic process because the ion's hydration when the crystal dissolves do not provide as much energy as needed to break up the lattice. Enthalpy is the heat energy that is absorbed or released while a chemical reaction progresses, specifically the amount of energy per mole released or absorbed during the reaction. Therefore, enthalpy can be an exothermic or an endothermic process as the change in energy can be either an increase (exothermic) or a decrease (endothermic). Enthalpy is calculated with the following equation, ∆𝐻 = 𝑚𝑐∆𝑇 where the ∆𝑯 represents Enthalpy, 𝒎 represents the mass of the water, 𝒄 represents the specific 𝑛 heat capacity, ∆𝑻 represents the temperature change and 𝒏 represents the number of moles (Britannica 2022). Dissolving an ionic compound like table salt involves energy, however, some salts consume energy from the surroundings to dissolve in water, thus, leading to excellent endothermic reactions. This concept is applied in the making of cold packs. The cold packs contain a sealed plastic bag containing mixtures of salts that undergo endothermic reactions when dissolved in water. For example, Ammonium Nitrate, and Sodium Acetate. This sealed bag contains salts and is surrounded by a layer of water. When this cold pack is squeezed or popped, the salts come into contact with water and dissolve. The endothermic reactions set in, leading to a significant drop in temperature, thus, making these cold packs extremely effective (Poison Control 2019).

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