Assignment:
The complete combustion of acetic acid, HC2H3O2(l) to form H2O(l) and CO2(g) at a constant pressure releases 871.7kJ of heat per mole of HC2H3O2.
a) Write a balanced thermochemical equation for this reaction.
The answer is HC2H3O2(l) + O2(g)---->2 H2O(l) + 2 CO2 Change (^) H = -871.7kJ
b) My question is, if I only know the first part (the question), how do I determine that this combustion reaction is going to form a gas? I do not understand how to look at the elements and determine that if they are combined, a gas will form? What is the equation to find the kJ?
Provide complete and step by step solution for the question and show calculations and use formulas.