Excess Enthelpy for Water-Ethanol Solution

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In summary, the conversation discusses the final temperature of a solution after mixing equal volumes of pure water and 95% ethanol. The experiment showed a temperature increase of 6.5 C, while the calculated increase was only 1.7 C. The discrepancy may be due to the heat capacities used for the components and the mixture.
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miz_cheme
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I am trying to determine the final temperature of a solution after I mix equal volumes of pure water and 95% by volume Ethanol (5% by volume water). Doing this experiment in the lab, I found that mixing 50 mL of water and 50 mL of 95% Ethanol gave a final temperature of 28.5 C after mixing (both the water and ethanol were at the same temperature of 22 C before mixing). Thus, mixing 50 mL of each when both were initially at 22 C gave in increase of 6.5 C.

With the mole fraction of Ethanol being about 0.2, this gives a corresponding excess enthalpy of -717 J/mol and with the total moles of Ethanol at 0.77, the added enthalpy after mixing is -553. This leads to a calculated temperature increase of only 1.7 C. What am I missing here? Why did the lab results show a temperature of 28.5 yet my math (which I am nearly 100% of correctness) only gives 1.7 C increase?
 
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What heat capacities are you using for components and for the mixture?
 

1. What is excess enthalpy for water-ethanol solution?

Excess enthalpy for water-ethanol solution is the difference between the actual enthalpy change and the ideal enthalpy change for a given mixture of water and ethanol. It is a measure of the deviation from ideal behavior in the solution.

2. How is excess enthalpy for water-ethanol solution calculated?

The excess enthalpy for water-ethanol solution is calculated using the formula: ΔHex = ΔHmix - ΔHid, where ΔHmix is the actual enthalpy change for the mixture and ΔHid is the ideal enthalpy change for the mixture.

3. What factors affect the excess enthalpy for water-ethanol solution?

The excess enthalpy for water-ethanol solution is affected by temperature, pressure, and the composition of the solution. Changes in these factors can lead to changes in the interactions between water and ethanol molecules, resulting in variations in the excess enthalpy.

4. Why is excess enthalpy important in studying water-ethanol solutions?

Excess enthalpy is important in studying water-ethanol solutions because it provides information about the strength of the interactions between water and ethanol molecules. This can help in understanding the properties and behavior of the solution, such as its boiling point, vapor pressure, and solubility.

5. How is excess enthalpy used in industrial applications?

Excess enthalpy is used in industrial applications, such as distillation processes, to optimize the efficiency and energy consumption of separation processes. It can also be used in the design and development of new materials and products that contain water and ethanol, such as fuels and pharmaceuticals.

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