A generalized method for the determination of thermochemical data of transient species, using time-resolved photoacoustic calorimetry (TR-PAC), is described in detail. Taking phenol as an example, the procedure for the determination of the PhO-H bond dissociation enthalpy from photoacoustic experiments, in various solvents, is presented, and its assumptions discussed. To derive gas-phase bond dissociation enthalpies from the solution values, a widely used procedure is compared with a computational chemistry (CC) microsolvation method. Results from the combined TR-PAC/CC approach show that the established "hydrogen bond only" model (to describe the difference between the solvation enthalpies of phenol and phenoxy radical) leads to an underestimation of the derived gas-phase bond dissociation enthalpy. When that differential solvation is properly accounted for, the agreement between our results and a recommended gas-phase value improves, indicating that the combined TR-PAC/CC approach is a valid tool for the study of organic free radical energetics. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.