What does mass defect mean? Chemistry Nuclear Chemistry Nuclear Chemistry 1 Answer David G. Dec 24, 2017 Einstein's famous equation #E=mc^2# shows that mass and energy are equivalent. In nuclear reactions, mass is converted to energy. The 'mass defect' is a measure of the lost mass. Answer link Related questions What are radioactive isotopes? What is the PUREX liquid-liquid extraction? What is the difference between fission and fusion? What does nuclear chemistry involve? What is radiotherapy? Why is the study of radioactivity labeled nuclear chemistry? When an atom emits radiation, #"A."# a new element is always formed #"B."# the mass number of... How was the nucleus of an atom discovered? Question #4e0c6 Question #84861 See all questions in Nuclear Chemistry Impact of this question 2156 views around the world You can reuse this answer Creative Commons License