a) Define heat capacity and state its unit.
(b) List two effects of heat on a substance.
(c) Explain how a tightly fitted glass stopper could be removed from a reagent bottle.
(d) A quantity of pepper soup of mass 800 g poured into a plastic container with a tight-fitting lid has a temperature of 30°C. The container is then placed in a microwave oven, rated 1200 W and operated for 3 minutes.
(i) Calculate the final temperature attained by the soup. (Assuming no heat losses).
(ii) Explain why containers with tight-fitting lids are not suitable for use in microwave cooking.
(iii) When the soup is brought out and allowed to cool, a dent is observed on the container. Explain. [Take specific heat capacity of the soup = 4000 Jkg\(^{-1}\) K\(^{-1}\)]
(a) Heat capacity
The heat capacity of a body is the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of the whole body by one kelvin (or one degree Celsius). Its SI unit is the joule per kelvin (J K\(^{-1}\)).
(b) Two effects of heat on a substance
- It causes a rise in temperature.
- It causes expansion (increase in size) of the substance.
(Other acceptable effects: change of state, e.g. melting or boiling; change in physical properties such as electrical resistance; chemical change.)
(c) Removing a tightly fitted glass stopper
Warm the neck of the bottle gently (for example with warm water or by rubbing). The glass of the neck, being on the outside, heats up and expands first (before the stopper), so the neck widens slightly. The stopper, still at its original size, becomes loose and can be eased out.
(d) The microwave soup
Data: \(m = 800\text{ g} = 0.8\text{ kg}\), \(\theta_1 = 30^{\circ}\text{C}\), \(P = 1200\text{ W}\), \(t = 3\text{ min} = 180\text{ s}\), \(c = 4000\ \text{J kg}^{-1}\text{K}^{-1}\).
(i) Final temperature
Heat supplied: \(Q = Pt = 1200 \times 180 = 216000\ \text{J}\).
Temperature rise: \(\Delta\theta = \dfrac{Q}{mc} = \dfrac{216000}{0.8 \times 4000} = \dfrac{216000}{3200} = 67.5\ \text{K}\).
\(\theta_2 = 30 + 67.5 = \mathbf{97.5\ ^{\circ}C}\).
(ii) As the soup heats up, water in it turns to steam and the trapped air expands, so the pressure inside a tightly sealed container builds up greatly. Since the lid is tight-fitting, the gas cannot escape; the pressure can burst the container or blow off the lid violently. Hence tight-fitting lids are unsafe in microwave cooking.
(iii) On cooling, the hot vapour inside condenses and the trapped gas contracts, so the pressure inside the sealed container falls below the atmospheric pressure outside. The greater external atmospheric pressure then pushes the walls of the plastic container inward, producing the observed dent.
