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Chemical reactions are reactions that happen between various elements to form bonds by transferring, sharing, losing, or gaining electrons. While Nuclear reactions happen inside the nucleus of an atom and involve the participation of protons and neutrons, it is not affected by the number of electrons. While nuclear reactions happen only very rarely and leave a huge impact due to heavy energy change.
| Table of Content |
Key terms: Nuclear reaction, chemical reaction, fusion, fission, Rate of chemical reactions
What are Chemical Reactions?
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A chemical reaction is a process where products are formed by multiple components going under chemical transformation. For example, when we breathe in oxygen, it reacts with glucose and releases carbon dioxide which we exhale, energy, and water which we retain. The substances which undergo the reaction are called reactants and the main substance formed is called the product while the others are called bi-products.
In chemical reactions there is a chemical change, new bonds are formed and old bonds break. A few types of chemical reactions are:
- Addition reaction
- Combustion reaction
- Neutralization reaction
- Displacement reaction
- Decomposition reaction
- Precipitation reaction
Chemical reactions happen by exchange of electrons, they form different kinds of bonds where they share or lose or even gain electrons. Chemical reactions are a result of external forces like changes in temperatures, pressure, or in presence of other chemicals. They determine the rate of chemical reaction as well. The molecules come out of their stable equilibriums and react with foreign chemicals to break and make bonds to form different molecules, however, the identity of an element doesn't change in any condition in a chemical reaction.
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What are Nuclear Reactions?
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Nuclear reactions are the reactions in which nuclides are formed when atomic nuclei and subatomic particles collide. They emit a very large amount of energy around 108 KJ/mol-1.
Nuclear reactions can be divided into two categories: nuclear fission and nuclear fusion.
Nuclear fission is cracked by humans and is used in various processes to generate large amounts of energy. Power plants have nuclear reactors which perform the process of nuclear fission. It is a highly dangerous process and can kill thousands of people within seconds and leave genetic impacts on the ones alive. The Chernobyl nuclear plant tragedy was proven to be a major example and will always remind humans about the extremity of nuclear reactions.
Nuclear reactions happening inside the nuclei involve protons and neutrons. It affects the mass of reactants and also changes the entire element, losing the reactants' original identity completely. For example, beta decay 14C leads to the formation of 14N.
Difference Between a Chemical Reaction and Nuclear Reaction
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| Chemical Reactions | Nuclear Reactions |
|---|---|
| Chemical reactions usually occur outside the nucleus of an atom. | Nuclear Reactions occur inside the nucleus of the atom. |
| Chemical reactions may/may not be reversible | Nuclear reactions are reversible |
| Atoms that retain their identity and nucleus while going under chemical reactions. For example in NaCl, common salt, Sodium, and chlorine retain their identities. | Atoms lose their identity and get converted to a different element altogether. For example, C turns into N after the beta decay. |
| The oxidation state of an element matters in chemical reactions | Nuclear reactions are independent of the oxidation state |
| Atoms transfer, share, lose or gain electrons | Atoms nucleus is decomposed and has nothing to do with electrons. |
| Isotopes of a particular element undergo the same chemical reactions and it does not differ | Isotopes of the same element can go through different nuclear reactions. |
| The energy change is comparatively very low in chemical reactions. | Nuclear reactions involve very high energy change. |
| The rate at which chemical reactions are highly determined by temperature, pressure, catalysts | Rate of a nuclear reaction only depends upon nucleons |
| Chemical reactions do not change the mass involved, it follows the law of conservation of mass. | Change in mass is common to nuclear reactions, they do not follow the law of conservation of mass. |
| Chemical reactions are the basis of life, they are happening everywhere around you at all times. | Nuclear reactions occur only between very unstable atoms and are performed purposely mostly. |
| A common example of a chemical reaction is the formation of curd from milk due to the actions of lactobacillus. | A common example of nuclear reactions is the nuclear fusion constantly happening in the sun, hence releasing such high amounts of energy and light to suffice several planets of the solar system. |
| New bonds keep forming. | No new bonds are formed. |
Things to Remember
- Chemical reactions occur under a disturbance of the equilibrium by temperature or pressure change or introducing a foreign molecule or component.
- In chemical reactions reactants react and form products and byproducts.
- Nuclear reactions happen inside nuclei.
- Nuclear reactions release very high energy.
- There are two types of nuclear reactions, nuclear fission, and nuclear fusion.
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Sample Questions
Ques. How do you identify a chemical reaction? (3 marks)
Ans. Chemical reactions are occurring all around us. They lead to chemical changes. The old bonds break to form new bonds and molecules which have different physical properties as compared to the reactant, leading to observable changes.
Chemical reactions leave a lot of traces and are visible by observing changes in odor, color, appearance, fumes and gas formation, precipitate formations.
Ques. Give some examples of chemical reactions. (3 marks)
Ans. Chemical reactions are a very common process. When you just look around you can observe so many chemical reactions happening
For example:
- Respiration: when we inhale oxygen, it reacts with glucose to form carbon dioxide, water, and energy. The carbon dioxide is then exhaled as it is not required in our systems.
- Photosynthesis: unlike us, plants use carbon dioxide to produce energy and oxygen. They undergo photosynthesis by inhaling co2, absorbing water from roots, and in presence of light.
CO2 + H2O + light → C6H12O6 + O2 - Combustion: When you light a match stick or burn candles you can observe the process of combustion. When the fuel from the candle comes in contact with oxygen molecules in the air it produces water and carbon dioxide and releases light energy.
Ques. Give examples of nuclear reactions. (3 marks)
Ans. Examples:
- Alpha decay is a process in which a 4He nucleus, also known as an alpha particle (42), is liberated from the parent nucleus in nuclei with mass numbers greater than 200.
- Beta-decay of 14C leads to the formation of 14N where you can see that the element completely changes into a different element losing its identity completely.
- The de-excitation of the excited thallium-234 nucleus is an example of gamma emission (which is produced from the alpha decay of uranium-238).
Ques. What is a nuclear reactor? (2 marks)
Ans. A nuclear reactor, also known as an atomic pile, is a device that is used to start and control nuclear chain reactions or nuclear fusion processes.Nuclear reactors are used in nuclear power plants to generate energy and for nuclear marine propulsion.
Ques. What is the main difference between nuclear reactions and chemical reactions? (3 marks)
Ans. The main difference between chemical and nuclear reactions is that in chemical reactions electrons are involved in breaking and making bonds with other atoms. In nuclear reactions, electrons don't have any involvement as the reaction happens inside the nucleus between subatomic particles or atomic nuclei.
Ques. What are the types of chemical reactions? (3 marks)
Ans. There are several types of chemical reaction:
- Addition reaction
- Combustion reaction
- Neutralization reaction
- Displacement reaction
- Decomposition reaction
- Precipitation reaction
Ques. What happens when a molecule's stable equilibrium is disturbed by temperature, pressure, and foreign molecules? (3 marks)
Ans. Disturbance in stable equilibrium at which a molecule exists leads to a chemical reaction. The molecules undergo the breaking of old bonds and react with the foreign molecule to form new bonds, with new physical properties and chemical properties. However, in these reactions elements don't lose their identity only molecules are changed.
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