Objective:

To determine the water equivalent of the bomb calorimeter using naphthalene.

Introduction:
Bomb calorimeter is an apparatus in which a small quantity of a fuel is burnt at constant volume
condition in a high-pressure container (the bomb). High-pressure oxygen is admitted into the
bomb so that the fuel burns completely. In order to create combustion in the bomb it is filled
with oxygen gas. The oxygen will be ignited by two electrodes placed into the top of the bomb.
Once an electrical current passes through the leads it ignites the oxygen and combustion occurs.
The bomb dips in a calorimeter filled with water. When the fuel burns, heat is released. The
water will act as an insulator and absorb the heat given off by the combustion of the sample. As
the water temperature rises the temperature is read from a thermometer sticking out of the top of
the insulating compartment. With these temperature readings one can create a graph of
temperature versus time and determine ∆T. Once this value is found it can be used in various
equations to determine specific heats. Apart from the water, the calorimeter also absorbs heat
from the burning. The temperature rise of the water is therefore not accurate if it is used to
determine the amount of heat released due to the burning. In order to overcome this problem, we
must determine how much heat is absorbed by the calorimeter, using a standard fuel where its
calorific value is known. In this experiment, the fuel is naphthalene. We express this value in
terms of the water equivalent of the calorimeter, which means that the heat absorbed by the
calorimeter is equivalent to an amount of water absorbing the same amount of heat. Therefore,
the objective of this experiment is to determine the amount of water in kg equivalent to the
calorimeter.
Apparatus:

Figure 1. A bomb calorimeter

High pressure container (bomb), oxygen supply, naphthalene, AC power supply, pellet press,
iron wire, crucible, electronic balance, thermometer, calorimeter, magnetic stirring bar, weight,
bar, measuring cup, ruler and distilled water.
Procedure:
1. Approximately 400mg (milligrams) of naphthalene is taken and crushed in the crucible
provided.
2. Approximately 10cm of iron wire is cut and weighed (mass ma).
3. Half of the naphthalene powder is poured into the pellet press. After that, the iron wire is
placed on the grooves of the pellet press. The rest of the naphthalene powder is poured
into the press. The plunger is inserted and a pellet is made by exerting pressure with the
given weight on the plunger. Once successful, the pellet is weighed together with the iron
wire (mass mb).
4. The pellet is fitted with the two ends of the wires into the contacts of the lid of the bomb.
5. The calorimeter is filled with exactly 850.00g of water and the sealed bomb is inserted as
well as the temperature sensor into it.
6. The bomb is filled with 1MPa (10 bars) of oxygen and the valve of the bomb is closed
carefully. The contact sockets of the bomb are connected to the AC power supply at 15
V.
7. The magnetic stirring bar is placed in the water and the magnetic stirrer is switched on (at
setting 4). The temperature Ti is noted after steady state has reached.
8. The power supply unit is switched on for 2 seconds and then switched off. The
naphthalene burned spontaneously and the temperature began to rise. The temperature
when the temperature stopped rising is observed and recorded the value Tf.
9. After the experiment is over, the bomb is removed from the calorimeter and the pressure
release valve is opened.

Results:
Mass of the iron wire, = 30mg (0.00003kg)

Mass of the naphthalene pellet with iron wire, = 440mg (0.00044kg)

Temperature of calorimeter water before burning fuel, = 25.8C

Steady state temperature of calorimeter water after burning the fuel, = 28.9C
Calculations:

Mass of fuel burnt:

= -

(0.00044 – 0.00003) kg = 0.00041kg

Temperature difference:

ΔT = -

(28.9 – 25.8)C = 3.1C

Water equivalent or mean effective heat capacity of the calorimeter is calculated using the heat
balance equation as below:

=W× × ΔT

(0.00041)(40237) = W (4.1868) (3.1)

W = 1.271kg

Calorific value of naphthalene, = 40237 kJ/kg

Specific heat of water, = 4.1868 kJ/kgC

W is the water equivalent of the calorimeter in kg

Discussion:
1. Water needs to be stirred in the experiment so that heat is distributed throughout the
calorimeter.

2. The power supply unit help in burning the fuel in the bomb by producing a spark when
high voltage is passed through the thin wire. The spark produced will react with oxygen
and set the naphthalene on fire.

3. In this experiment, the main contribution of error is the incomplete combustion of

naphthalene. The stirring process of water was not accurate as there was no equal heat
transfer to the whole surface. Apart from that, not all energy from the combustion of
naphthalene is transferred to the water. Since the bomb is not fully submerged in water,
some heat is lost to surrounding air at the top part of the bomb, thus there were errors in
this experiment. Finally, improper handling of the pellet also causes error in the
experiment due to the loss of mass of the pellet.

4. Theoretically, the naphthalene that is used in the form of powder can obtain a more
accurate result compared to making naphthalene in pallet form because by using powder
form of naphthalene because it has a greater total surface area in contact with oxygen
required for combustion and thus it can be burnt more completely but practically, using
powder is not suitable because it is hard to ignite spark using power supply.

5. After the burning is complete, we expect to see a little amount of white smoke, water
vapour and some black residue of the incompletely burnt naphthalene when the bomb is
opened.

6. Water used in the calorimeter = 1000 g

Mass of chocolate used = 0.40 g
Rise in temperature = 1.4 oC
Water Equivalent = 1.271 kg
(0.00040)Cc = (1.271)(4.1868)(1.4)
Caloric value of chocolate, Cc = 18624.98 kJ/kg
Assumptions:
1) There is no impurity present in the system.

2) The naphthalene is completely burned and there is no side reaction that

occurs.

3) No heat lost to the surrounding and if there is heat lost, it can be

negligible as the heat lost is too small.

Precautions:
1. Make sure the fuse wire attached properly to the electrode so as to prevent short circuit.
2. Handle the Oxygen Tank with care to prevent leakage and accidents.

Conclusion:
We can conclude that the heat produced by the combustion of naphthalene is equivalent to the
heat absorbed by the water. As the water equivalent of the bomb calorimeter is closer to 0.85kg,
it means that the heat absorbed by the water is approximately equal to the heat produced by the
burning naphthalene. Hence, the smaller the contact surface area, the smaller the mass, the more
accurate value of the Water Equivalent, W which will result in a smaller error.

References:
 https://www.academia.edu/5337823/Oxygen_Bomb_Calorimeter_Experiment_to_find_th
e_calorific