Propose a method to find the specific heat of sodium which reacts with water
Two methods to think about.
Use a liquid with which Na doesn't react.
OR, use a weighed amount of Na metal to react with water. Measure T of the water before addition of Na and after adding Na. That will give you q and you know all the other variables. Great care would need to be taken to avoid explosive reactions AND to avoid spattering.
Check my thinking on that last one; that may only give you the delta H for the reaction of Na to NaOH + H2.
To find the specific heat of sodium that reacts with water, you can consider using the following methods:
1. Using a liquid with which sodium doesn't react: One method is to find a liquid that doesn't react with sodium but has a known specific heat. You could immerse the sodium metal in this liquid and measure the change in temperature. By using the equation q = m * c * ΔT, where q is the heat gained or lost, m is the mass of the sodium, c is the specific heat of the liquid, and ΔT is the change in temperature, you can calculate the specific heat of sodium.
2. Weighed amount of sodium reacting with water: Another method is to take a weighed amount of sodium metal and react it with water. To measure the heat change, you would need to measure the initial temperature of the water before adding the sodium and then measure the final temperature after the reaction takes place. Using the same equation as before, q = m * c * ΔT, where q is now the heat gained or lost by the water, m is the mass of the water, c is the specific heat of water, and ΔT is the change in temperature, you can calculate the specific heat of water.
However, it's important to note that the second method may only give you the enthalpy change (ΔH) for the reaction of sodium to form sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and hydrogen gas (H2). This method will not directly measure the specific heat of sodium. So, if your specific goal is to determine the specific heat of sodium itself, you may need to consider using the first method or explore other techniques specifically designed for that purpose.