Coffee-Cup calorimeter? Please check my answer! :)

Question

When a neutralization reaction is carried out in a coffee-cup calorimeter, the temperature of the solution after reaction, Tf, would be

a

Cannot determine

b

Lower

c

The same

d

Higher

__________________________

I believe the answer is D: Higher, am I right?

Answer 1

Yes, D sound like fun, but there actually isn't enough information to be certain. If the reaction were exothermic, then D is correct. If it is endothermic, then B is the teacher's pet. If there is no, or minimal, enthalpy change (e.g., a color change, a low level of reactants, etc) then the temperature would not change. I vote for A - we don't have all we need to determine the answer.

Bob

Answer 2

In general, that would be the correct answer as most neutralization reactions are exothermic so the temperature of the solution would increase. But (a) could also be an answer since we don't know the nature of the acid and the base and there are some (e.g. citric acid and sodium bicarbonate) that react in an endothermic reaction.