Investigating the Effect of Carbon Chain Length in Primary Alcohols on Heat-Loss Error in Copper-Can Calorimetry

This investigation explores how increasing carbon chain length in primary alcohols affects the magnitude of heat-loss error in copper-can calorimetry. The error is quantified by calculating the absolute deviation between experimental and literature molar enthalpies of combustion.

Using a primary laboratory approach, the student combusted methanol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, and pentanol. The findings reveal a strong positive correlation (R² = 0.881), indicating that longer chains intensify systematic heat-loss pathways. A notable anomaly in pentanol is analyzed through the lens of incomplete combustion and soot formation.

This exemplar is distinguished by its rigorous uncertainty propagation, detailed evaluation of systematic versus random errors, and thorough qualitative analysis of combustion characteristics.