Formula Used:
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Molar Specific Heat Capacity at Constant Pressure (Cp) of a gas is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 mol of the gas by 1 °C at constant pressure. It is a fundamental thermodynamic property that characterizes how a substance responds to heat input while maintaining constant pressure.
The calculator uses the thermodynamic relation:
Where:
Explanation: This formula relates the heat capacity to measurable thermodynamic properties through fundamental thermodynamic identities.
Details: Accurate calculation of Cp is crucial for understanding energy transfer processes, designing thermal systems, predicting phase changes, and analyzing thermodynamic cycles in engineering applications.
Tips: Enter all values in appropriate SI units. Ensure that isothermal compressibility is greater than isentropic compressibility. All input values must be positive numbers.
Q1: What is the difference between Cp and Cv?
A: Cp is the heat capacity at constant pressure, while Cv is at constant volume. For ideal gases, Cp - Cv = R, where R is the gas constant.
Q2: Why is isothermal compressibility greater than isentropic compressibility?
A: Isentropic compressibility is smaller because during adiabatic processes, temperature changes affect the compressibility, making the substance appear "stiffer."
Q3: What are typical values of Cp for common gases?
A: For monatomic gases (He, Ar): ~20.8 J/(mol·K); for diatomic gases (N2, O2): ~29.1 J/(mol·K); values vary with temperature.
Q4: How does temperature affect Cp?
A: Cp generally increases with temperature as more vibrational modes become active in molecules.
Q5: Can this formula be used for all substances?
A: This thermodynamic relation is general and applies to all substances, though the specific values of the parameters vary widely between different materials.