Log out Go to App
Go to App

Learning Materials

Features

Discover

Chapter 21: Problem 1

How do nuclear reactions differ from ordinary chemical reactions?

Short Answer

Expert verified
Nuclear reactions involve changes in the nucleus of an atom and can change one element into another, often releasing large amounts of energy. Chemical reactions, on the other hand, involve a rearrangement of electrons within an atom and occur on the electron shell; they can't transform one element to another. Hence, the key differences lie in where the reaction takes place (nucleus versus electron shell), the possibility of elemental transformation, and the amount of energy released.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding Chemical Reactions

Chemical reactions occur when two substances interact to form new substances. This process involves the rearrangement of atoms and the breaking and forming of new chemical bonds between these atoms. These reactions only affect the arrangements of electrons in an atom as they occur in the electron shell.
02

Understanding Nuclear Reactions

A nuclear reaction involves changes in the nucleus of an atom. Unlike chemical reactions, nuclear reactions can change one element into another. In these reactions, there is a change in the protons or neutrons in the atom's nucleus. This often involves the release of a large amount of energy.
03

Distinguishing Between the Two

The major differences between nuclear and chemical reactions include the following: In chemical reactions, atoms are changed by reconfiguring the electrons, while in nuclear reactions, atoms are changed by altering the protons or neutrons in the nucleus. Additionally, nuclear reactions release much more energy compared to chemical reactions. Lastly, nuclear reactions can change an element into an entirely different element, a transformation that doesn’t occur in chemical reactions.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Start your free trial

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with Vaia!

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

The half-life of \({ }^{27} \mathrm{Mg}\) is \(9.50 \mathrm{~min}\). (a) Initially there were \(4.20 \times 10^{12}{ }^{27} \mathrm{Mg}\) nuclei present. How many \({ }^{27}\) Mg nuclei are left 30.0 min later? (b) Calculate the \({ }^{27} \mathrm{Mg}\) activities \((\) in \(\mathrm{Ci})\) at \(t=0\) and \(t=30.0 \mathrm{~min}\) (c) What is the probability that any one \({ }^{27} \mathrm{Mg}\) nucleus decays during a 1 -s interval? What assumption is made in this calculation?

Explain why achievement of nuclear fusion in the laboratory requires a temperature of about 100 million degrees Celsius, which is much higher than that in the interior of the sun (15 million degrees Celsius).

Nuclei with an even number of protons and an even number of neutrons are more stable than those with an odd number of protons and/or an odd number of neutrons. What is the significance of the even numbers of protons and neutrons in this case?

From the definition of curie, calculate Avogadro's number, given that the molar mass of \({ }^{226} \mathrm{Ra}\) is \(226.03 \mathrm{~g} / \mathrm{mol}\) and that it decays with a half-life of \(1.6 \times 10^{3} \mathrm{yr}\)

(a) Assume nuclei are spherical in shape, show that its radius \((r)\) is proportional to the cube root of mass number \((A) .\) (b) In general, the radius of a nucleus is given by \(r=r_{0} A^{\frac{1}{3}},\) where \(r_{0},\) the proportionality constant, is given by \(1.2 \times 10^{-15} \mathrm{~m}\). Calculate the volume of the \({ }^{238} \mathrm{U}\) nucleus.
See all solutions

Recommended explanations on Chemistry Textbooks

Inorganic Chemistry

Read Explanation

Chemical Analysis

Read Explanation

The Earths Atmosphere

Read Explanation

Making Measurements

Read Explanation

Ionic and Molecular Compounds

Read Explanation

Physical Chemistry

Read Explanation
View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.

Sign-up for free