Home › WAEC WASSCE › Chemistry › Thermochemistry › What distinguishes a bomb calorimeter from a cof…
What distinguishes a bomb calorimeter from a coffee cup calorimeter?
AIt operates at constant volume in a sealed vessel
BIt operates at constant pressure in an open vessel
CIt measures only the mass change of the reactants
DIt works without any water surrounding the sample
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. It operates at constant volume in a sealed vessel
1. Coffee cup calorimeters are open, so they run at constant atmospheric pressure.
2. A bomb calorimeter is a sealed steel container, so it runs at constant volume instead.
3. That suits reactions giving large amounts of heat and gaseous products, such as combustion.
4. The bomb is filled with oxygen at high pressure and the sample is lit by an electrical spark.
5. The bomb itself is submerged in water, so water is very much part of the apparatus.
_Source: OpenStax Chemistry (CC BY 4.0), Ch 5 "Thermochemistry", section 5.2 Calorimetry_
Related questions
The energy needed to raise the temperature of water depends on atmospheric pressure and onThe specific heat of a substance is usually treated as constant across a chapter's temperaA flask of water heated from 21 degrees Celsius to 85 degrees Celsius has absorbed heat, sHeating 800 grams of water by one degree Celsius requires how many times the energy neededCompared with chemical reactions, the energy changes in nuclear reactions are larger by a Increasing the thermal energy of a sample raises its temperature, provided that:In a bimetallic strip thermometer, brass and steel are paired because on heating:Most metals have specific heats that are: