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  • Home / Ask Me Stuff
  • Free Lessons
    • Thermodynamics >
      • Thermochemistry Worksheet + Answers
      • First Law of Thermodynamics
      • Pressure-Volume Work
      • Enthalpy
      • Hess' Law
      • Enthalpy of Formation
      • Heat Capacity
      • Calorimetry
      • Entropy
      • Third Law of Thermodynamics
      • Spontaneity: Gibbs Free Energy
      • Second Law of Thermodynamics
      • Spontaneity at Different Temperatures
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      • Redox Reactions
      • Introduction to Half-Reactions
      • Calculating Oxidation Number
      • Has a Redox Reaction Occurred?
      • How to Balance Redox Reactions (Acidic Solution)
      • How to Balance Redox Reactions (Basic Solution)
      • Galvanic Cells
      • Standard Reduction Potentials
      • Electrolytic Cells
      • Nernst Equation
    • Kinetics >
      • Introduction
      • Relative Rates of Reaction
      • Rate Laws
      • Zero-Order Reactions
      • First-Order Reactions
      • Second-Order Reactions
      • Half-Life Expressions
      • Arrhenius Equation
      • How Long will it Take to Decay?
      • What Order is this Reaction?
      • Find the Rate Constant
    • Gases >
      • Pressure, Volume, Temperature
      • Ideal Gas Law
      • Density of Gases
      • Ideal Gas Law and Changes in P, V, T
      • Kinetic Molecular Theory
      • van der Waals' Equation for Non-Ideal Gases
      • Partial Pressures
      • Kinetic Energy and Temperature
    • Equilibrium >
      • Writing Equilibrium Expressions
      • Le Chatelier's Principle
    • Acids and Bases >
      • Acids and Bases Worksheet + Answers
      • Arrhenius vs Bronsted-Lowry vs Lewis Acids
      • Solve Titration Questions
    • Intermolecular Forces >
      • Phase Diagrams
      • Phase Changes
      • Intermolecular Forces
      • Effects of Intermolecular Forces
      • Ranking by Boiling/Melting Point
      • Clausius-Clapeyron Equation
      • Heating Curves
    • Solids >
      • Ionic/Metallic/Covalent
      • Symmetry of Solids
      • Simple Cubic, fcc and bcc
      • How to Find Edge Length
    • Organic Reactions >
      • Br2 + Alkene (Adding across a double bond)
      • HCl + Alkene (Adding across a double bond)
      • Reaction of OH with Alkyl Halide
      • What is Regioselectivity?
    • Moles and Mass >
      • Average Atomic Mass
      • Solve for Isotopic Abundance
      • Limiting Reagents
      • Percent Yield
      • Actual Yield and Percentage Yield
      • Percent Composition
    • Atomic Structure >
      • What's in an Atom?
      • Quantum Numbers
      • Pauli, Aufbau, Hund
      • Light: E h ν λ
      • Energy Levels of Hydrogen
      • Energy Levels of Non-Hydrogen Atoms
    • Organic Naming >
      • Naming Organic Molecules
      • How to Name Amines
      • How to Name Amides
    • Lewis Structures
  • Privacy Policy
  • Free Help on Discord

Heat Capacity


There are three different types of heat capacity, and they are all loosely referred to as “heat capacity” ... and that confuses students.

“Heat capacity” (C) is the amount of heat required to heat a particular object (like a rod of iron) by 1ºC. Bigger object → larger heat capacity. The units of heat capacity are J/ºC.

“Specific heat capacity” (Cp) is the amount of heat required to heat 1 g of a particular substance by 1ºC. Bigger object → no change in specific heat capacity, since specific heat capacity is for only 1 g of the substance, not the whole lot of it. The units of specific heat capacity are J/g/ºC.

RARE: “Molar heat capacity” (Cm) is the amount of heat required to heat 1 mol of a particular substance by 1ºC. Bigger object → no change in specific heat capacity, since specific heat capacity is for only 1 mol of the substance, not the whole lot of it. The units of specific heat capacity are J/mol/ºC.

It is more common for questions to involve specific heat capacity that the other two, but you should be ready to use any of the three. Often the units of the given heat capacity will tell you which one you're dealing with.

Heat capacities allow scientists to predict how much the temperature of a substance will rise/fall given a certain heat change. The most important application of this is calorimetry.


Created by Nathan Oldridge (aka ChemistNATE).  All lessons here are Public Domain.