What does the negative enthalpy of formation ($ ext{-}285.8 ext{ kJ/mol}$) for water signify chemically?
Answer
Energy must be input into the system to force its constituent atoms apart and form water.
A negative enthalpy of formation indicates that the formation process is exothermic (energy is released when forming water from elemental hydrogen and oxygen). Consequently, the reverse process—breaking the bonds—requires an energy input.
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