Illustrated Glossary of Organic Chemistry
Enthalpy
of
combustion
(heat of
combustion
):
The
enthalpy change (Δ
H
)
that occurs when a substance is
combusted
(i.e., burned) in an excess of oxygen. Can be used as a measure of
molecular
stability, for example, when measuring
ring strain
.
The
enthalpy
of
combustion
for
n
-
octane
is greater than the
enthalpy
of
combustion
for 2,2,3,3-tetra
methyl
butane
. Therefore the
linear
C
8
H
18
isomer
is less stable than the
branched
C
8
H
18
isomer
.
Related terms:
Kcal
,
mol
,
enthalpy of formation
,
heat of formation
,
Δ
H
f
0
,
enthalpy of hydrogenation
,
heat of hydrogenation
,
ΔΕ
,
ΔΕΝ
,
Δ
G
,
Δ
G
++
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