Chemical and Nuclear Reactions

Chemical reaction:

• transfer, loss, gain, and sharing of electrons, nothing takes place in the nucleus
• substance is changed to one or more other substances because of actions of electrons
• low-energy change

Nuclear reaction:

• decomposition of the nucleus, can change to another atom because of the loss of protons and neutrons nothing to do with electrons
• can be termed fission or fusion
• new element is formed because of the action of protons and neutrons
• high-energy change