Answer the following questions:
Are the equations of nuclear reactions (such as those given in Section 13.7) ‘balanced’ in the sense a chemical equation (e.g., 2H2 + O2→ 2 H2O) is? If not, in what sense are they balanced on both sides?
If both the number of protons and the number of neutrons are conserved in each nuclear reaction, in what way is mass converted into energy (or vice-versa) in a nuclear reaction?
A general impression exists that mass-energy interconversion takes place only in nuclear reaction and never in chemical reaction. This is strictly speaking, incorrect. Explain.