Which of the following statements best describes the relative amounts of energy for a given amount of reactant in ordinary chemical and nuclear reactions?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Nuclear reactions involve much larger amounts of energy than ordinary chemical reactions. In fact, nuclear reactions can release millions or even billions of times more energy per unit of reactant mass than chemical reactions. This is because nuclear reactions involve changes in the very fundamental structure of matter, specifically the nucleus of atoms, whereas chemical reactions involve only changes in the electrons that surround the nucleus. As a result, even small changes in nuclear structure can release vast amounts of energy, whereas chemical reactions require much larger changes in electron arrangements to release similar amounts of energy.

Which of the Following Statements Best Describes the Relative Amounts