Asked by ny

List three characteristics of chemical reactions and three characteristics of nuclear reactions.

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
Chemical reactions
1. Involve rearrangement of electrons and chemical bonds — atoms keep their nuclei (no change in element), bonds break and form to give new molecules.
2. Relatively small energy changes per event (typically eV scale) — heat, light, or work may be absorbed or released but mass is effectively conserved.
3. Rates depend strongly on temperature, pressure, concentration and catalysts — reaction conditions and catalysts can speed up or slow down reactions.

Nuclear reactions
1. Involve changes to atomic nuclei (protons/neutrons) — elements can be transmuted and new radioactive isotopes produced.
2. Very large energy changes per event (MeV scale) because of binding-energy differences and mass defect (E = mc^2) — produce much more energy than chemical reactions.
3. Rates are governed by nuclear properties and particle flux (e.g., neutron flux) and are largely insensitive to ordinary chemical conditions; they also emit penetrating radiation (α, β, γ).