The isothermal heat conduction calorimeter: a versatile instrument for studying processes in physics, chemistry and biology

An approach to teaching calorimetry is offered through practical, versatile undergraduate experiments using an isothermal heat conduction calorimeter, which measures a variety of heat changes--enthalpies of phase changes, hydration, dissolution, adsorption and desorption, and reaction--as well as the metabolic rate of living organisms. Isothermal heat-conduction calorimetry is contrasted with adiabatic calorimetry. The general design and calibration of an instrument is discussed and five student experiments are described: heat capacity of solids, enthalpy of acid-base reaction, enthalpy of vaporization, hydration of cement, and metabolic rates of insects