A 45.00 g piece of an unknown metal at 98.2 °C is transferred quickly into 125.0 g of water contained in a coffee-cup calorimeter. The water is initially at 23.5 °C, and the final equilibrium temperature of the metal–water system is 27.1 °C. Assume the calorimeter absorbs negligible heat and the density of water is 1.00 g mL⁻¹.
(a) Calculate the quantity of heat gained by the water (in J).
(b) Using the result from part (a), determine the specific heat capacity of the metal (in J g⁻¹ K⁻¹).
(c) Given that the molar mass of the metal is 118.7 g mol⁻¹, calculate its molar heat capacity (in J mol⁻¹ K⁻¹).
(d) Discuss two assumptions made in this experiment that could affect the accuracy of the molar heat capacity obtained.