Specific Heat
What is Specific Heat?
Specific heat capacity (c) is the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance by one degree Celsius (or one Kelvin) at constant pressure, measured in J g⁻¹ °C⁻¹ or J g⁻¹ K⁻¹. Water has an unusually high specific heat (4.18 J g⁻¹ °C⁻¹) due to hydrogen bonding, which makes it an effective heat buffer in biological and environmental systems. Specific heat is used in calorimetric calculations: q = mcΔT.
Key Facts
Frequently Asked Questions
Specific heat capacity (c) is the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance by one degree Celsius (or one Kelvin) at constant pressure, measured in J g⁻¹ °C⁻¹ or J g⁻¹ K⁻¹. Water has an unusually high specific heat (4.18 J g⁻¹ °C⁻¹) due to hydrogen bonding, which makes it an effective heat buffer in biological and environmental systems. Specific heat is used in calorimetric calculations: q = mcΔT.