Skip to main content
Chemistry LibreTexts

Balloon Heat Capacity, Thermodynamics

  • Page ID
    127573
  • \( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)\(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)

    Required Training

    Required PPE

    UC Lab Safety Fundamentals

    Lab coat, safety glasses/goggles,

    nitrile gloves

    Equipment

    Chemicals

    DI Water Bottle

    2 Clean Balloons

    Candle

    Matches

    Procedure:

    1) Put a small amount of water into a clean balloon and inflate to fairly large size.

    2) Inflate a second balloon without any water to the same size.

    3) Light a candle.

    4) Hold the water-filled balloon over the candle (but do not touch it to the embers!) and it will not pop.

    5) Holding the balloon without water over the candle will promptly pop it

    Discussion:

    Heat Capacity is defined as the amount of heat required to change the temperature of a system by one degree. Specific heat capacity is defined as the amount of heat required to change one gram of a substance by one degree. As water is heated in first balloon, the heat of the candle only slowly raises the temperature of the water due to water’s high heat capacity. Conversely, the air inside the second balloon has a low heat capacity (about one quarter of water’s) and is quickly raised to a temperature as which the balloon fails.

    Hazards:clipboard_e52ce14af44ed021666cab9c78c902cc0.png

    The sound when the balloon pops may be loud and hearing protection may be desired, however is not necessary. Be careful when dealing with matches and lit candles.

    SOP:

    N/A

    Disposal (by Storeroom):

    One can dispose of the balloons in the trash or given to the storeroom for disposal.

    Acknowledgements

    Chapeter 7.2 in Petrucci, 8th Edition


    Balloon Heat Capacity, Thermodynamics is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

    • Was this article helpful?