Q:

What is a kg.cal per gram, as a heat of combustion?

I see heats of combustion given in kg [dot] calories per gram molecular weight (Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 1969-1970). I don't know how that makes sense, as I don't know what a kg cal might be.  I would have expected units of energy per mass (calories per gram) or energy per mole.  What is a kg cal, and what is wrong in my thinking?

A:

$\mathrm{kg~cal}$ probably represents the kilogram calorie (especially given that it is an old book). Nowadays it is usually just known as the Calorie, usually abbreviated $\mathrm{kcal}$. It is roughly the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of $1~\mathrm{kg}$ of water by $1~\mathrm{^\circ C}$. Since this is temperature and pressure dependent, there are slight variations in the actual definition depending on the context in which it is used.

