Chemistry / Unit 4 Chem 0666 short lesson, about 20 seconds
The Bomb Calorimeter
Captions available
The idea
A bomb calorimeter measures heat at constant volume, inside a sealed steel vessel built for combustion reactions.
In practice
A weighed fuel sample is ignited by a spark inside the bomb, and the surrounding water warms by an amount revealing the heat released.
Where people slip
A bomb calorimeter's steel body absorbs a share of the reaction's heat, so its known heat capacity enters the calculation.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Builds on
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