Peanuts and peanut oil are organic materials and burn in air. How many burning peanuts does it take to provide the energy to boil a cup of water (250 mL of water)? To solve this problem, we assume each peanut, with an average mass of 0.73 g, is 49% peanut oil and 21% starch; the remainder is noncombustible. We further assume peanut oil is palmitic acid, C₁₆H₃₂O₂, with an enthalpy of formation of −848.4 kJ/mol. Starch is a long chain of C₆H₁₀O₅ units, each unit having an enthalpy of formation of −960 kJ. 

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ⒸCengage Learning/Charles D. Winters How many burning peanuts are required to provide the energy to boil 250 mL of water?