[kevinkevin]

  It is amazing how much I don't know when I really analyze something.  I was hoping to get a couple of questions about this reaction answered.  I do this reaction at home so I can collect hydrogen gas and do calculations to calculate volume, partial pressure, ect.  What I don't understand is why it's such an exothermic reaction.  I have listed some explanations that I have come up with and hopefully one of them is right, or at least on the right track.   

1) Is it because as the hydrogen from the water is reduced to form hydrogen gas energy is released?  Which would mean that when the hydrogen ions form hydrogen molecules it requires less energy for the molecules to be formed than ionic hydrogen?

2) Is it because as the sodium hydroxide is dissolved the process is exothermic and the actual reaction has nothing to do with creating the heat?  And is sodium hydroxide dissolving in water exothermic because as the sodium hydroxide dissociates it releases energy since it requires less energy to be separated into its ions than to exist as an ionic compound?

3)  Lastly, is it because as the aluminum is oxidized it releases energy?  Meaning the aluminum dissociating into its ions takes less energy than its previous state as atoms? 
 
  Could it be a combination of a couple of these?  Thanks for any insight on this topic.

[Arkcon]

You're kinda all over the place with this one, it might be better if you wrote the reaction out in chemical notation, and tried to predict the products.  However ...

1). No, the hydrogen doesn't come from the water

2). Well NaOH dissolving in water is exothermic.  But if its already dissolved, then maybe slightly cooled, the heat you get from adding aluminum isn't really connected.  Now is it?

3). Now that's a good one.  Work this angle some more with some textbook evidence.