Which of the following substances has the highest specific heat?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

To answer, we must compare the specific heat capacities of the given substances.
Option 1: steel. Steel has a relatively low specific heat (roughly about 0.5 J/g·K), which means it heats up and cools down quickly compared to water. This makes it an incorrect choice for the highest specific heat among the options.
Option 2: liquid water. Water has a notably high specific heat (about 4.18 J/g·K). This means it requires a large amount of energy to raise its temperature by one degree per gram, due to hydrogen bonding and the extensive energy needed to disturb the molecular interactions. This makes water the best candidate for the highest specific heat in this list.
Option 3: mercury. Mercury has a very low specific heat (roughly 0.14 J/g·K), so it heats up and cools down with far less energy transfer per degree than water. This confirms it is not the highest.
Option 4: ice. Ice has a lower specific heat than liquid water (about 2.1 J/g·K), so while it can absorb some heat, it still does not reach water’s high capacity. Additionally, at standard conditions, ice is solid and lacks the energy-absorbing efficiency water gains from molecular motion and phase-related factors that occur in liquid water.
Overall, among the four substances listed, liquid water stands out as having the highest specific heat due to its molecular structure and hydrogen-bonding interactions, which demand more energy for a temperature increase than the other materials shown.

Chemistry (H) - Varnold - Preparatory Academy - 2nd Semester - 2024/2025 2025 Thermochemistry Practice Test

Which of the following substances has the highest specific heat?

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