Which Alcohol Burner Was The Most Efficient When Heating-Up Water

P9/M4- Determination of

Abstract:
The aim of this experiment was to find out which alcohol burner was the most efficient when heating up water. The different alcohol burners were placed under cans full of 100cm3 of water one after the other. There was a thermometer placed in the can, which measured the temperature change during the experiment. It was noticeable that the most efficient alcohol burner was Octan-1-ol as its average was 16.4KJ whilst most other burners were less than 10KJ.
Introduction & Aims:
Each alcohol that was used had different amounts of carbon and hydrogen atoms, as the amount of atoms goes up the amount of energy the alcohol releases goes up also, for example Octan-1-ol (C8H17OH) was the most efficient with the highest calorific value of 16.4KJ where as Ethanol (CH3OH) has a calorific value of 7.5KJ. The aim of this experiment was to find out which alcohol burner was most efficient when heating up water, and which used the least amount of alcohol to heat up 1--cm3 of water around 15degrees higher than the starting temperature.
Method:
Next the starting temperature of the water has to be measured. After that the can of water has to be clamped around 5-10cm above the unlit alcohol burner. Then light the burner making sure that it is place immediately underneath the can. Throughout the experiment the water should be stirred using a metal stirrer so the water is evenly heated. When the water gets to around 15 degrees above the starting temperature of the water, put the cap back on the alcohol burner. Then weigh the alcohol burner again without the cap on to find out how much alcohol was used. After start the whole method again using different alcoholic