Procedure

1. Gather all Equipment and Materials.
2. Put on your eye protection or someone will yell at you.
3. Set up your heating apparatus (tripod and bunsen burner).
4. Turn the gas to the bunsen burner on and use the striker to ignite the burner.
5. Fill a 200mL(or larger) beaker about halfway and place it on top of the tripod.
6. Select a sample for your test run.
7. Weigh the sample on the lovely electric balance. These can measure to the hundredths place, so make sure your measurement goes two places past the decimal point.
8. Quickly write down this weight so you don't forget it.
9. Using tongs, carefully set the sample in the beaker. Because of an experience in which a beaker was cracked and water dripped all over the bunsen burner (which still burned for a while), use of the tongs for this is highly recommended.
10. Assemble your calorimeter. If you have previously done this, gather the parts and move to the next step. This requires three standard styrafoam cups. Two are to be set inside of each other, and the third should have its lip removed using scissors. A hole large enough to fit the thermometer through should be made in the middle of the third cup's bottom. The third cup is inverted to fit snugly inside the other two.
11. Bring the bottom half of your calorimeter and a 200 or more mL beaker full of water to the electric balance.
12. Set the bottom half of the calorimeter on the balance, then rezero the balance. We found that this takes less time and is more accurate then measuring the mass of the cup, then the mass of the cup with the water and subtracting the weight of the cup.
13. Add a reasonable amount of water (enough to cover the sample) to the cups and take note of the measurement.
14. Return with your calorimeter and write down the number, which is the mass of the water, and is also measureable to the hundredths place.
15. Place the thermometer in your calorimeter, through the hole in the top of the third cup. Make sure the bottom of the thermometer is completely submersed in water (this part looks like metal).
16. Wait and perhaps fill in all the knowns for mCΔT = mCΔT. You should by now know both of the masses, and the initial temperature of the sample, which is 100°C. 100 in this case has an infinite number of significant figures because it is an accepted measurement in the world of science for the temperature of water when it is boiling.
17. Determine the intial temperature of the water, and find water's specific heat at that temperature.
18. Write both these numbers down.
19. Make sure that the water in the beaker is boiling.
20. Raise the top of the calorimeter so that the sample can be placed in the cup with no trouble.
21. Before you go any further, remember that the longer your sample is exposed to air, the more heat it loses.
22. With this in mind, place your tongs in the beaker of water.
23. Hold the tongs there for about ten seconds so that they can adjust somewhat to the temperature of the water.
24. Now, quickly pick up your sample and transfer it to your calorimeter! Evan and I found that a quick towel-drying procedure removes excess water and produces more accurate results. This is a two-person job. One person has the tongs, the other has the towel. The person with the tongs removes the sample from the water and instantly puts it into the towel. The person with the towel quickly closes and opens the towel, and the person with tongs immediately transfers the sample into the calorimeter and lowers the lid. We had this down to a perfect procedure which only took approximately one second, thus minimizing heat loss and maximizing accuracy.
25. Close the calorimeter and gently swirl the water around to evenly distribute the heat.
26. Watch the temperature rise, and when it stops or slows down substantially, note that temperature, which can also be taken to the hundredths place.
27. Write down the temperature, and put it in the final temperature places in mCΔT = mCΔT.
28. You now have all the information you need - just solve for C.
29. Turn off the gas to the bunsen burner.
30. Using special "beaker grabbing tongs", pick up the heated beaker and empty the extra water into the sink. Put the beaker away.
31. Empty the other beaker and put it away as well.
32. Remove the thermometer from the calorimeter.
33. The sample will be cool enough to handle if its heat has really been transferred to the water. If you are scared, however, use the tongs to pick it up and dry it off using a paper towel, then put it back with the other samples.
34. Empty the water out of the calorimeter, and dry the calorimeter with paper towels.
35. Mark your name on the calorimeter and put it away to use for your next run of the experiment.
36. Return all equipment to its proper locations.
37. Wipe up any spilled water.
38. Return your eye protection to its proper cabinet.
39. Solve for C.
40. Compare this with the actual specific heat of the substance and calculate the percent error.
41. Record this run of the experiment.