Calorimetry

Calorimetry is the science of using a calorimeter.

A calorimeter is a device used to measure the change in heat associated with a chemical reaction. The actual output from a calorimeter is a change in temperature of the reaction medium or a water bath. The change in heat of the reaction monitored, ΔH, can be calculated by multiplying the change in temperature, ΔT, with the total heat capacity, C:

ΔH = C⦁ΔT

The change in heat (also called the change in enthalpy), ΔH, of a reaction is closely related to the change in energy, ΔU, associated with that reaction. Read more about the relationship between heat and energy here.

Two types of calorimeters exist: Constant pressure calorimeters are used to measure the heat of a reaction in a liquid medium, whereas constant volume calorimeters are used to measure the change in heat of a combustion reaction.