Thermodynamic Properties of Synthetic Sapphire (α-Al2O3), Standard Reference Material 720 and the Effect of Temperature-Scale Differences on Thermodynamic Properties

Abstract

Comparison of the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Standard Reference Material 720 certificate values for heat capacity with those obtained from recent experimental determinations indicated the possibility of a systematic error in the certificate values. Selected experimental determinations of enthalpy increments and heat capacities were fitted in order to obtain a representation of the thermodynamic properties of α‐Al₂O₃, a sample of which is the standard reference material (SRM‐720) for calibration of some types of calorimeters. The fitted equation and calculated values of the heat capacity, the relative enthalpy, and the entropy are given. The new values are more accurate and result from a better representation of the experimental values than did the 1982 SRM‐720 certificate values. Additionally, the general problem of the effect of changes in practical temperature scales on thermodynamic properties is briefly discussed, using the results for α‐Al₂O₃. A recent report from the I.U.P.A.C. Commission on Thermodynamics gave a method for the conversion of thermodynamic properties for changes in practical temperature scale. The I.U.P.A.C. method is shown to be not generally correct. A better method for estimation of these changes is given.