Zinc reacts with copper(II) sulfate solution in an exothermic reaction.
The equation for the reaction is:
Zn(s)+CuSO4(aq)→ZnSO4(aq)+Cu(s) \text{Zn(s)} + \text{CuSO}_4(\text{aq}) \rightarrow \text{ZnSO}_4(\text{aq}) + \text{Cu(s)} Zn(s)+CuSO4(aq)→ZnSO4(aq)+Cu(s)A student investigated the effect of changing the mass of zinc powder on the highest temperature reached by the reaction mixture.

Determine the gradient of the line of best fit in Figure 1. Use the equation:
Gradient=Change in highest temperatureChange in mass \text{Gradient} = \frac{\text{Change in highest temperature}}{\text{Change in mass}} Gradient=Change in massChange in highest temperatureGive the unit.
The initial temperature of the reaction mixture is where the line of best fit would meet the yyy-axis. Determine the initial temperature of the reaction mixture by extrapolating the line of best fit to a mass of 0.0 g.