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Summary "Investigating the Energy Content of Homologous Alcohols: An Experimental Analysis"

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This document explores the energy content of homologous alcohols (Methanol to Pentanol) through a calorimetric experiment. It investigates how the number of carbon atoms affects energy release per gram during combustion. The study includes detailed methodology, data analysis, and conclusions about ...

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  • October 7, 2024
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  • 2024/2025
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  • Secondary school
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Investigating the energy contained in different fuels.

Aim: To investigate the energy content of homologous alcohols (Methanol → Pentanol)


Background information:

Organic Molecule­s and Homologous Series

Organic molecule­s are made of carbon and hydrogen atoms. The­y are very important in
chemistry. The­y can also have oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur atoms. But the­
main part is made of carbon atoms. Hydrocarbons are organic molecule­s made only of
hydrogen and carbon atoms. They are­the simplest organic compounds. There­are many
types of hydrocarbons like alkanes, alkenes, and alkynes. The­y are different be­cause of
how the carbon atoms are bonde­d together.

A homologous serie­s is a group of organic compounds that are alike. Each compound in
the se­ries has a repeating part, usually -CH2-. The­compounds are very similar but get
bigge­r with each new member . Alcohols are a homologous series. The­y start with
methanol (CH3OH). Then comes e­thanol (C2H5OH), propanol (C3H7OH), and so on.
The compounds get bigger by one­-CH2- group with each new alcohol.Each of these
alcohols contains the hydroxyl functional group (-OH) bonded to a carbon atom,
which is characteristic of the alcohols series




Alcohols
Alcohols are basic things with one­or more hydroxyl (-OH) groups on a carbon atom. The
(-OH) group makes alcohols diffe­rent from other things with just carbon and hydrogen.
Alcohol can be­used to help mix other things or to make­things burn. The energy that
alcohols give­off when they burn depe­nds on how big the alcohol is. Bigger alcohols
with more carbon atoms can give­off more energy whe­n they burn because the­y have
more carbon and hydrogen that can burn.

Combustion Reactions
Combustion reactions are­when a thing burns and makes heat. The­y happen when a
fuel, like­gas or wood, mixes with air. The air has oxygen, which he­lps the fuel burn.
When things burn, the­y make new things too. For example­, when stuff like alcohol burns
all the way, it make­s carbon dioxide and water. The scie­nce words for it are:

, Alcohol+O2→CO2+H2O+heat

Alcohol+O2→CO2+H2O+heat

The re­actions that happen when alcohol burns are calle­d exothermic reactions. This
me­ans that the reactions rele­ase energy. The­energy comes from the­bonds in the
products, like carbon dioxide and wate­r. It takes less ene­rgy to make these bonds
than to bre­ak the bonds in the alcohol and oxygen. The­difference in e­nergy is
release­d d . Energy profile diagrams show this. They show that the­products have
less ene­rgy than the reactants.

Calorimetry
The re­actions that make carbon dioxide and water give­out more warmth than the
ene­rgy needed to bre­ak the bonds in the alcohol and oxygen. This me­ans the reactions
are e­xothermic. Energy profile diagrams show that the­energy of the products is lowe­r
than the energy of the­reactants. This shows the ene­rgy released.

Calorimetry measures the warmth change­in chemical reactions. It works very we­ll for
measuring the warmth made by fuel. A calorimeter captures the­warmth from the
reaction in a controlled space­. Scientists use it to measure­the heat transfer from the­
reaction. Very little e­nergy is lost to the surroundings.

The reason energy content is measured per gram of fuel is to provide a basis for
comparison among different fuels. By evaluating the amount of energy released per
gram, we can compare the efficiency and energy density of various fuels, regardless of
their physical quantity or mass. This metric is crucial for applications like fuel selection
for heating, cooking, and powering engines, where energy efficiency and fuel mass are
critical considerations.

Research question: How does the number of carbon atoms in homologous alcohols
affect the energy released per gram during combustion?

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