In lab we conducted a calorimetry experiment with a peanut. We burned a half a peanut and placed it underneath a pop can with 50mL of water inside. One of our questions is why heat transfer to the pop can isn't accounted for when calculating heat generated and why it's reasonable. Can anyone explain how this is because I would think that it's unreasonable.

Consider the mass of the Al can (it's small) and the heat capacity of the can (it's small). Then compare that with 50 mL of water, it's heat capacity and the temperature difference.

When conducting a calorimetry experiment, it is important to understand that the goal is to measure the heat generated by the burning peanut. In this experiment, the pop can with 50mL of water is acting as a calorimeter, which is a device used to measure heat transfer.

The reason why the heat transfer to the pop can is not accounted for when calculating the heat generated is because the system is assumed to be isolated. In an ideal situation, the heat transfer to the surrounding environment, which includes the pop can, would be negligible. This assumption is typically reasonable for well-insulated systems, as long as the heat loss or gain to the surroundings is minimized.

It is important to note that no system is perfectly isolated, and some heat transfer will occur between the reacting substance and the surroundings. However, in this experiment, the impact of heat transfer to the pop can is considered reasonable given that it is designed to minimize heat loss to the environment. By using a well-insulated calorimeter and conducting the experiment in a controlled environment, the heat transfer to the pop can is assumed to be insignificant, allowing for a more accurate measurement of the heat generated by the burning peanut.

To further improve the accuracy of the experiment, especially if you want to account for heat transfer to the pop can, you may need to include a correction factor to account for any heat exchange with the surroundings. This would require additional measurements and calculations to determine the rate of heat loss or gain from the calorimeter. However, in basic calorimetry experiments like the one you described, it is often viable to neglect the heat transfer to the pop can and focus primarily on the heat generated by the burning peanut.