What unit is latent heat measured in?

Latent heat is a specific amount of heat energy required to change the state of a substance without changing its temperature. This property is essential in understanding phase changes, such as melting and boiling. The unit of latent heat is measured in joules per kilogram (J/kg), which signifies the amount of energy needed to change 1 kilogram of a substance from one phase to another.

When considering the other units listed, joule per meter (J/m) measures energy per unit length and is not applicable in the context of phase changes. Newtons per square meter (N/m²) is a unit of pressure, which also does not relate to latent heat. Lastly, kilojoule per mole (kJ/mol) is used in chemistry to express energy related to chemical reactions or processes involving moles of a substance, but it does not directly pertain to the phase changes of a specific mass of a substance in the context of latent heat. Thus, joules per kilogram is the correct measurement for this concept.