Isothermal Titration Calorimeter

Question

1. Is it much like a coffee cup setup? Can it detect the heat absorbed or released from a chemical reaction?
2. Can it be used to heat and melt metals?
3. Can the instrument object a small volume of reagent into the solution multiple times?

Answer 1

Hello, Jay,

I'm not certain I understand the nature of your questions, but I can share some information on isothermal titration calorimeters (ITC). Coffee cup - I don't know. The analogy is OK, but perhaps misleading. The ITC measures heat generated, or released, from a system that is being titrated, but does so without allowing the temperature to change. The energy it takes to warm or cool the system is monitored, not the temperature rise itself. One advantage is that experiments on biochemical reactions can be conducted at a steady temperature, one presumably set to physiological conditions where the activity of the enzyme is an important data point.

It would be a very expensive way to heat and melt metals, even if it had the ability to reach those temperatures. No - it is not designed for metallurgical purposes.

For your last question, I will say yes. It could be used in a single experiment to provide multiple data points.

I hope this helps,

Bob