Question

Why are chemical processes unable to produce the same amount of energy flowing out of the sun as nuclear fusion?

Answer 1

Answer:

Explanation:

One of the major differences between nuclear reactions and chemical reactions is that nuclear reactions involve larger amount of energy than chemical energy. This is because the force between the protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom is much higher than the force of attraction between electrons and the positively charged nucleus, hence nuclear reactions involves/requires a larger amount of energy (because it's reactions involve the nucleus) than chemical reactions (because it's reactions involve the electrons).

Thus, during nuclear fusion, two light nuclei are bombarded against one another to produce a larger/heavier nuclei with the release of large amount of energy (because the forces between the protons and neutrons are much higher) unlike when two atoms/molecules are chemically combined together to form a new molecule with the rearrangement of electrons in the valence shells of the participating molecules.