Specific heat?

         What commonly obtainable material has the highest ability to retain
heat per cu/ft? Oh, and not corrode in ethylene glycol antifreeze solution?
Limestone, granite, lead? Any ideas? Links to charts?
    TIA, Jim

  Jim wrote:

http://www.kent.k12.wa.us/staff/CarrieWattles/chemistry/chapter9.htm
liquid water has about the highest specific heat of any common
substance.

Perhaps, if you are thinking about storing heat (or cool) then you
might look into materials which melt at a temperature you prefer
and which have the highest heat of fusion.

For instance, you could look up various materials at MatWeb
http://www.matweb.com/index.asp?ckck=1

Lead is a good example...
http://www.matweb.com/search/SpecificMaterial.asp?bassnum=AMEPb00
Density 11.34 g/cc
Specific Heat Capacity 0.129 J/g-°C
Heat of Fusion 24.1 J/g
Melting Point 327.5 °C (622 °F)

Anthony

 

    Thanks for the quick answer! This is fascinating, not at all what I'd
expected. Can anyone suggest a water soluble substance commonly available
that would dramatically increase the specific heat of water?
    Let me guess; it'll be common table salt....

 

Close. Adding lithium and/or calcium chloride will increase the stored heat
if you evaporate some water on sunny days and add water back on cloudy days.

Nick

 
    But the materials are measured by weight, not volume. Soooo, something
with a specific heat half that of water, but ten times the weight (specific
gravity) would hold five times as much heat in the same volume, correct?
    I have taken something for a headache, but I don't think my brain is
dead just yet... :-)


    Looking at this table seems to indicate that I need a few tons of
aluminum oxide AKA Rubies! LOL!!!! Back to the drawing board....