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The heat capacity of a substance is the amount of heat energy it must consume in order to raise its temperature by 1K or 1ºC; it can be expressed using either the units joules or calories. A calorie is defined as the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1.00 gram of water by 1.00ºC, and joules are the SI units for energy; 1 calorie = 4.184 joules.
Every pure substance involved in a chemical reaction has a unique heat capacity, and the heat capacity of 1 mol of a pure substance is known as its molar heat capacity (J/mol-K or J/mol-ºC). The heat capacity of 1 gram of a substance is known as its specific heat (J/g-K). The following equation relates the specific heat of a substance, the temperature change, the mass of the substance, and how much energy was put into the system:
Every pure substance involved in a chemical reaction has a unique heat capacity, and the heat capacity of 1 mol of a pure substance is known as its molar heat capacity (J/mol-K or J/mol-ºC). The heat capacity of 1 gram of a substance is known as its specific heat (J/g-K). The following equation relates the specific heat of a substance, the temperature change, the mass of the substance, and how much energy was put into the system: