Specific Heat Capacity Values for Common Substances
| Substance | Formula | State | Specific Heat (J/(g·°C)) | Molar Heat Capacity (J/(mol·°C)) | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water (liquid) | H₂O | liquid | 4.184 | 75.38 | Liquid |
| Water (ice) | H₂O | solid | 2.09 | 37.66 | Solid |
| Water (steam) | H₂O | gas | 2.01 | 36.21 | Gas |
| Aluminum | Al | solid | 0.897 | 24.2 | Metal |
| Iron | Fe | solid | 0.449 | 25.1 | Metal |
| Copper | Cu | solid | 0.385 | 24.44 | Metal |
| Silver | Ag | solid | 0.235 | 25.35 | Metal |
| Gold | Au | solid | 0.129 | 25.42 | Metal |
| Lead | Pb | solid | 0.129 | 26.65 | Metal |
| Zinc | Zn | solid | 0.388 | 25.39 | Metal |
| Tin | Sn | solid | 0.228 | 27.11 | Metal |
| Nickel | Ni | solid | 0.444 | 26.07 | Metal |
| Titanium | Ti | solid | 0.523 | 25.06 | Metal |
| Magnesium | Mg | solid | 1.023 | 24.87 | Metal |
| Sodium | Na | solid | 1.228 | 28.23 | Metal |
| Calcium | Ca | solid | 0.647 | 25.93 | Metal |
| Mercury | Hg | liquid | 0.14 | 27.98 | Metal (liquid) |
| Ethanol | C₂H₅OH | liquid | 2.44 | 112.4 | Organic liquid |
| Methanol | CH₃OH | liquid | 2.53 | 81.1 | Organic liquid |
| Acetone | C₃H₆O | liquid | 2.17 | 126 | Organic liquid |
| Glycerol | C₃H₈O₃ | liquid | 2.43 | 223.7 | Organic liquid |
| Carbon (graphite) | C | solid | 0.709 | 8.52 | Nonmetal |
| Carbon (diamond) | C | solid | 0.509 | 6.12 | Nonmetal |
| Sulfur | S | solid | 0.71 | 22.75 | Nonmetal |
| Silicon | Si | solid | 0.712 | 20 | Metalloid |
| Glass (soda-lime) | — | solid | 0.84 | — | Ceramic |
| Granite | — | solid | 0.79 | — | Mineral |
| Sand (SiO₂) | SiO₂ | solid | 0.835 | 50.17 | Mineral |
| Sodium chloride | NaCl | solid | 0.864 | 50.5 | Salt |
| Olive oil | — | liquid | 1.97 | — | Organic liquid |
Values are tabulated at 25 °C and 1 atm. Specific heat is temperature-dependent — for water it climbs about 1% between 25 °C and 100 °C, which is negligible for introductory calorimetry but matters for precise work. The Dulong–Petit law predicts that elemental solids cluster near 25 J/(mol·K) at room temperature; the metal molar heat capacities here all sit between 24 and 27 J/(mol·K), confirming the rule. Carbon (graphite and diamond) deviates because its high vibrational frequencies aren't fully excited at 25 °C. Sources: CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (104th ed.) and NIST Chemistry WebBook.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does water have such a high specific heat capacity?
Each water molecule forms up to four hydrogen bonds with its neighbors. Heating liquid water means breaking or weakening that bond network before kinetic energy can climb, so a lot of input energy goes into rearranging hydrogen bonds rather than raising temperature. The net effect is c = 4.184 J/(g·°C), roughly 4–10× higher than most metals on a per-gram basis. The same property is why coastal climates are mild — oceans absorb summer heat and release it slowly into winter.
How do you use specific heat in calorimetry calculations?
Use q = mcΔT, with q in joules, m in grams, c from this table, and ΔT in °C (numerically equal to ΔT in K). To heat 100 g of water from 20 °C to 80 °C: q = (100)(4.184)(60) = 25,104 J ≈ 25.1 kJ. In a coffee-cup calorimeter, you set the heat absorbed by the water equal in magnitude to the heat released by the reaction (q_rxn = −q_water), then divide by moles to get ΔH per mole. Sign conventions: positive q means the system gained heat, negative means it lost heat.
What is the Dulong–Petit law?
Dulong–Petit predicts that elemental solids have a molar heat capacity near 25 J/(mol·K), which is 3R from equipartition (each atom contributes R for each of three vibrational degrees of freedom). It holds for most metals at or above room temperature — every metal in this table sits between 24 and 27 J/(mol·K). It breaks down for light, stiffly bonded elements: graphite gives 8.5 and diamond just 6.1 J/(mol·K) at 25 °C, because their high Debye temperatures mean the vibrational modes are not yet thermally populated.