The first order of business is setting up the CBL.

In this particular experiment I chose to have the CBL collect and display temperature data graphically every 5 seconds just to illustrate some of the capabilities we will use later in the year. All we actually need are the initial and final water temperatures.

50.0 mL of water were added to the double-styrofoam cup calorimeter (HC = 5.0 J/^oC). Then the solids were massed into the test tube, taring after the first solid. Since the reaction is very slow before mechanical mixing, we don't need to worry about rushing. This same technique was used, you may recall, in the zinc iodide experiment earlier in the year. 0.75 g of the sodium sulfate decahydrate and 0.57 g of the ammonium nitrate were used.