Is a bomb calorimeter an isolated system and is a coffee cup calorimeter a closed system?

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Isa Samad 1L
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Is a bomb calorimeter an isolated system and is a coffee cup calorimeter a closed system?

Postby Isa Samad 1L » Sun Jan 21, 2018 2:22 pm

Was wondering if these two calorimeters are considered an isolated system and closed system respectively or is it the other way around?

Mike Vinci 2B
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Re: Is a bomb calorimeter an isolated system and is a coffee cup calorimeter a closed system?

Postby Mike Vinci 2B » Sun Jan 21, 2018 2:42 pm

The bomb calorimeter is a closed system that can exchange energy with the surroundings and is isochloric (no volume change). The coffee cup calorimeter is isolated, meaning pressure is constant and no energy can be exchanged with the surroundings, known as adiabatic conditions

Anna Li 2E
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Re: Is a bomb calorimeter an isolated system and is a coffee cup calorimeter a closed system?

Postby Anna Li 2E » Sun Jan 21, 2018 9:51 pm

The purpose of a bomb calorimeter is to calculate heat generated by a reaction (hence the name 'bomb') by measuring the difference in temperature of the water surrounding said reaction. So, if the bomb calorimeter was an isolated system, this heat transfer would be unable to occur and we would not be able to observe any change in temperature.

The purpose of a coffee cup calorimeter is to calculate the heat from a reaction mixture directly with a thermometer so it must be an isolated system in order to get the most accurate information. If the heat generated by the reaction mixture was able to escape and enter its surroundings, the temperature we record from the mixture would not be the actual energy released by the reaction.


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