What is the definition of specific heat capacity?

Specific heat capacity is defined as the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance by one degree Celsius. This property is crucial in understanding how different materials respond to heat. It essentially indicates how much energy must be added to or removed from a substance to change its temperature, which is fundamental in thermodynamics and various applications in chemistry and engineering.

The specific heat capacity varies between substances, reflecting their unique molecular structures and bonding, which influence how they absorb and store thermal energy. High specific heat capacity means a substance can absorb a lot of heat without significant temperature changes, while a low specific heat capacity indicates it heats up or cools down rapidly with the addition or removal of heat.

In contrast, the other options describe different thermodynamic processes. Freezing and vaporization pertain to phase changes rather than temperature change, and the amount of energy released during cooling relates to heat transfer rather than the specific heat capacity itself.