Question

Are nuclear processes categorized under chemical processes?

Answer 1

Nuclear process:

• “Nuclear process is the process in which two nuclei/nucleus collide to produce one or more new nuclides.”
• These processes involve changes in the nuclear binding energies.
• There are four types of nuclear processes which are described below:

1. Nuclear fission
2. Nuclear fusion
3. Nuclear decay
4. Transmutation

No, nuclear processes are not categorized under chemical processes due to the following reasons:

• Nuclear processes deal with the atom’s nucleus, while chemical processes deal with the electron's arrangement.
• In nuclear processes, the element's chemical form does not play any role.
• Nuclear processes are independent of the parameters such as temperature and pressure while chemical processes depend upon external parameters.