In an exothermic reaction between substances X and Y, how do you calculate the energy released?

In an exothermic reaction, energy is released as the reactants transform into products. This energy release is typically observed as an increase in temperature of the surrounding substances. To calculate the energy released during such a reaction, you can use the formula that involves the temperature change, the mass of the substance affected by the reaction, and its specific heat capacity.

Specifically, energy (in joules) can be calculated using the equation:

Energy = mass × specific heat × temperature change.

Here, the temperature change refers to the difference between the final temperature and the initial temperature after the reaction has occurred. By multiplying the amount of substance (mass) by the specific heat capacity (which tells us how much energy is required to raise the temperature of a unit mass by one degree Celsius) and the change in temperature, you obtain the total energy released.

The other choices do not correctly apply the principles of thermodynamics in this context. For instance, simply dividing the initial temperature by the mass does not provide any meaningful information about the energy changes in the system. Similarly, averaging the temperatures or summing them does not relate directly to the energy released in a quantifiable manner. Therefore, multiplying the temperature change by the mass and specific heat is the only