When defining specific heat capacity, which unit is commonly used?

Specific heat capacity is a physical property that indicates how much heat energy is required to raise the temperature of a substance by a certain amount, specifically one degree Celsius, for a specific mass of that substance. The unit for 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.

The most commonly used unit for specific heat capacity is joules per gram per degree Celsius. This unit reflects both the amount of energy (in joules) and the mass of the substance being heated (in grams) along with the temperature change (in degrees Celsius). This makes it suitable for comparing the thermal properties of different materials, as it provides a clear understanding of how much heat energy is needed to change the temperature of given amounts of different substances.

Other units, such as calories per mole, might be used in different contexts but do not directly convey the relationship of heat capacity per mass, which is central to the definition of specific heat capacity. Likewise, units like kilojoules per liter or liters per mole per degree Celsius do not relate directly to the specific heat for a specific mass of substance, further emphasizing why joules per gram per degree Celsius is the standard measurement for this property.