12 Hand Warmer

AP Inquiry Experiment 12: The Hand Warmer
Design Challenge
Central Challenge
You are challenged to use chemistry to design an effective, safe,
environmentally benign, and inexpensive hand warmer. The ideal hand warmer
increases in temperature by 20C (but no more) as quickly as possible, has a
volume of about 50 mL, costs as little as possible to make, and uses chemicals
that are as safe and environmentally friendly as possible. Students will carry out
an experiment to determine which substances, in what amounts, to use in order
to make a hand warmer that meets these criteria.
Context for This Investigation
Have your fingers ever been so cold they felt numb? Wouldnt it be great if you
could generate heat to warm your hands up anytime you want to? Thats exactly
what a hand warmer does. One type of hand warmer contains water in one
section of the packet and a soluble substance in another section. When the
packet is squeezed the water and the soluble substance are mixed, the solid
dissolves and the packet becomes warm. In this experiment, students will learn
how a hand warmer works and use chemistry to design an effective, safe,
environmentally benign, and inexpensive hand warmer. You will dissolve salts in
water to see their effect on the temperature.
Prelab
Write a purpose for this lab.
Look up the hazard warnings, and disposal information for all chemicals used
in the lab.
Anhydrous Salts to be tested

potassium chloride
magnesium sulfate
copper sulfate
calcium chloride
sodium acetate
sodium carbonate
Investigation
Design and execute an experimental procedure to determine which of the ionic
compounds is most suitable for use in a hand warmer. Review the criteria for an
ideal hand warmer from the Central Challenge. For each solid, consider safety,
cost, and environmental impact as well as the amount of heat released or
absorbed.
Write down the procedure you will follow. Explain it to your instructor before you
proceed. This needs to be included in your post lab.
Things to keep in mind

1. Safety and Environmental Impact: Obtain the MSDS for your solids. Review each one,
making notes about safety concerns, necessary precautions, and disposal.

3. Cost:
Substance 2012 Cost per 500 g ($)

CaCl2
6.55
CuSO4
45.65
MgSO4
32.70
NaC2H3O2
12.90
Na2CO3
6.15
KCl
4.50
3. Heat of Solution: Work with your group to design a procedure to compare the solids in
terms of the heat released or absorbed when they dissolve and include what materials
and equipment you will use. You must include the safety precautions you will take.
Important Procedural Tips

1. Be sure to keep detailed records of the amounts of substances used and the starting
and ending temperature as you will need it later to determine the amount of solid to use
in your hand warmer.
2. You will receive a maximum of 10 g of each solid for this part.
3. Use a Styrofoam cup as a colorimeter, otherwise you will lose a lot of heat. Nest the
Styrofoam cup in a beaker, it will tip over if you dont. Keeping a lid on the cup will give
you better results.
Data Collection and Computation

You now need to calculate the change of enthalpy of dissolution (also called the
heat of solution, with symbol Hsoln, and units of kJ/mol solute) occurring in
aqueous solution. The data necessary to calculate the heat of solution can be
obtained using a calorimeter. Calorimeter Constant Determination: According to
the law of conservation of energy, energy cannot be created or destroyed, only
changed from one form to another or transferred from one system to another.
The temperature change observed when water or any substance changes
temperature can be a result of a transfer of energy from the substance to the
surroundings (in which case the temperature of the substance decreases) or the
surroundings to the substance (in which case the temperature of the substance
increases). When hot and cold water are mixed, the hot water transfers some of
its thermal energy to the cool water. The law of conservation of energy dictates
that the amount of thermal energy lost (or the enthalpy change) by the hot
water, qhot, is equal to the enthalpy change of the cool water, qcold, but opposite
in sign, so qhot = qcold. The enthalpy change for any substance is directly related
to the mass of substance, m; the specific heat capacity (a substance-specific
constant), c; and the temperature change, T. The relationship is expressed
mathematically in the equation q = mcT. The specific heat capacity of water is
4.184 J/oCg.
Post Lab
Write down the procedure you followed including all data
you collected at each point.
Answer the following questions.
1. Calculate the temperature change per gram of each salt. Determine
the amount of salt needed to create a 20o temperature change, and
the cost.
2. Calculate the enthalpy change of the water for each salt using the
equation qhot = mcT. Assume that the density of water is exactly 1
g/mL. Is this an endothermic or exothermic process? Explain.
3. By convention, scientists report enthalpy changes for dissolution (and
many other processes) in units of kilojoules per mole of solute
dissolved. Using your values of qsoln, calculate the enthalpy in units of
kilojoules per mole. This quantity has the symbol Hsoln.
4. Based on the cost information provided, and your experimental work
and calculations, select which chemical you believe will make the most
cost-effective hand warmer. The hand warmer you are designing needs
to increase in temperature by 20C. Calculate the amount of the
compound you selected that would be required for a hand warmer that
meets this requirement.

12 Hand Warmer

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12 Hand Warmer

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AP Inquiry Experiment 12: The Hand Warmer

Context for This Investigation

Anhydrous Salts to be tested

Things to keep in mind

making notes about safety concerns, necessary precautions, and disposal.

Substance 2012 Cost per 500 g ($)

Important Procedural Tips

Data Collection and Computation

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