Definition
Plain language
A unit for how much energy is involved in a chemical change.
As stated in the literature
Molar energy unit (1 kcal/mol ≈ 4.184 kJ/mol); ~88 kcal/mol is on the order of a C–C bond dissociation energy.
Also called: kcal/mol
Why it matters: It gives a common yardstick for judging whether a claimed energy release is chemically ordinary or physically implausible.
For example, saying a reaction releases about 88 of these units tells a chemist it is roughly on the scale of breaking a carbon-carbon bond.
Heard on the show
“… molecule far too short to form a stable monolayer, and asserted that roughly eighty-eight kilocalories per mole of condensation energy, comparable to breaking a carbon-carbon bond, would be harmlessly …”Episode 240 — Frontier Models Designed Follow-Ups To Fraudulent Papers 93% Of The Time