Replacement of Coffee Cup Calorimeters with Fabricated Beaker Calorimeters

A reusable solution calorimeter for introductory chemistry laboratory classes was demonstrated. This calorimeter was fabricated from readily available polypropylene Tri-Pour beakers nested together. The nested Tri-Pour beaker calorimeter showed similar insulating properties to the common doubled foam coffee cup calorimeters in general use. This durable replacement for the foam coffee cup calorimeters has reduced the quantity of material entering the waste stream as well as the recurring annual cost. The calorimeter heat capacity of the nested Tri-Pour calorimeter was slightly higher (29.4 J/K) than the coffee-cup based system (14.8 J/K).