Why are displacement reactions of metals in acids exothermic?

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LSJ
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Bah, template doesn't apply to this.

In a lab report, we were using Hess's Law to calculate enthalpies using a few reactions we did in class, one of which was magnesium in hydrochloric acid. The question was to explain why the change is exothermic.

What exactly is it about displacement reactions of metals in acids that makes them exothermic?



In this case,

Mg + 2HCl --> MgCl2 + H2 + xkJ
 
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