Question

A chemist mixes 75.0 g of an unknown substance at 96.5°C with 1,150 g of water at 25.0°C. If the final temperature of the system is 37.1°C, what is the specific heat capacity of the substance? Use 4.184 J / g °C for the specific heat capacity of water.

Answer 1

can someone explain?

Answer 2

Could you provide an explanation too?

Answer 3

q = mC(Tf-Ti)

where q is heat, C is specific heat, Tf is final temperature, Ti is final temperature

all the heat that was lost from the unknown substance is gained by the water

so you set up q = mC(Tf-Ti), once each for the water and the substance, and set the two q values equal to each other. You should be solving for the C in the water equation.