The specific heat capacity is the amount of thermal energy required to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance by one degree Celsius.
It is a characteristic property that gives the precise capacity of a substance to absorb or release heat. Its symbol is |c.|
In other words, the specific heat capacity is the amount of heat that one gram of a substance must absorb for its temperature to rise by one degree Celsius. It can also be the amount of heat that one gram of this substance must lose for its temperature to drop by one degree Celsius.
The following table lists the specific heat capacity of various elements, measured under standard conditions at SATP (standard ambient temperature and pressure), that is to say, at |25^\circ\text{C}| and |101.3\ \text{kPa}.|
| Name | Formula | Specific heat capacity |(\bf \text{J/g}{\cdot^\circ\!\text{C}})| | Name | Formula | Specific heat capacity |(\bf \text{J/g}{\cdot^\circ\!\text{C}})| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminum | |\text{Al}| | 0.897 | Krypton | |\text{Kr}| | 0.248 |
| Silver | |\text{Ag}| | 0.235 | Magnesium | |\text{Mg}| | 1.023 |
| Argon | |\text{Ar}| | 0.520 | Manganese | |\text{Mn}| | 0.479 |
| Nitrogen | |\text{N}_2| | 1.040 | Mercury | |\text{Hg}| | 0.140 |
| Beryllium | |\text{Be}| | 1.825 | Neon | |\text{Ne}| | 1.030 |
| Boron | |\text{B}| | 1.026 | Nickel | |\text{Ni}| | 0.444 |
| Carbon (graphite) | |\text{C}| | 0.709 | Sulphur | |\text{S}_8| | 0.710 |
| Bromine | |\text{Br}_2| | 0.474 | Gold | |\text{Au}| | 0.129 |
| Chlorine | |\text{Cl}_2| | 0.479 | Platinum | |\text{Pt}| | 0.133 |
| Fluorine | |\text{F}_2| | 0.824 | Lead | |\text{Pb}| | 0.129 |
| Hydrogen | |\text{H}_2| | 14.304 | Radon | |\text{Rn}| | 0.094 |
| Iodine | |\text{I}_2| | 0.214 | Scandium | |\text{Sc}| | 0.568 |
| Oxygen | |\text{O}_2| | 0.918 | Selenium | |\text{Se}| | 0.321 |
| Chromium | |\text{Cr}| | 0.449 | Silicone | |\text{Si}| | 0.705 |
| Cobalt | |\text{Co}| | 0.421 | Tetraphosphorus | |\text{P}_4| | 0.769 |
| Copper | |\text{Cu}| | 0.385 | Titanium | |\text{Ti}| | 0.523 |
| Tin | |\text{Sn}| | 0.228 | Tungsten | |\text{W}| | 0.132 |
| Iron | |\text{Fe}| | 0.449 | Uranium | |\text{U}| | 0.116 |
| Gallium | |\text{Ga}| | 0.371 | Vanadium | |\text{V}| | 0.489 |
| Germanium | |\text{Ge}| | 0.320 | Xenon | |\text{Xe}| | 0.158 |
| Helium | |\text{He}| | 5.193 | Zinc | |\text{Zn}| | 0.388 |
The following table lists the specific heat capacity of various liquid substances, measured under standard conditions at SATP, that is, at |25^\circ\text{C}| and |101.3\ \text{kPa}.|
Name | Formula | Specific heat capacity |
Acetic acid | |\text{C}_{2}\text{H}_{4}\text{O}_{2}| | |2.05| |
Ethylene glycol | |\text{C}_{2}\text{H}_{6}\text{O}_{2}| | |2.39| |
Water | |\text{H}_{2}\text{O}| | |4.18| |
Ethanol | |\text{C}_{2}\text{H}_{6}\text{O}| | |2.44| |
Diethyl ether | |\text{C}_{4}\text{H}_{10}\text{O}| | |2.37| |
Hexane | |\text{C}_{6}\text{H}_{14}| | |2.27| |
Glycerol | |\text{C}_{3}\text{H}_{8}\text{O}_{3}| | |2.38| |
Methanol | |\text{CH}_{4}\text{O}| | |2.53| |
Mercury | |\text{Hg}| | |0.14| |
Octane | |\text{C}_{8}\text{H}_{18}| | |2.23| |
Source: CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 95th edition (2014-2015)