In this lesson our instructor talks about nuclear chemistry. First, he discusses types of radioactive decay such as alpha decay, beta decay, and gamma decay. Then he talks about nuclear equations and nuclear decay. He ends the lesson with a summary and two helpful sample problems. Nuclear Chemistry Nuclear reactions involve a change of chemical composition and can be accompanied by substantial amounts of energy. The energy released can be in the form of alpha, beta, and gamma rays, with gamma rays being the most harmful and penetrating. Writing and balancing a nuclear equation follows the law of conservation of mass and charge. Radioactive decay processes follow first-order kinetics.