The energy associated with nuclear reactions. The amount of energy released is considerably greater than that associated with chemical reactions. For example, the amount of energy released from radium, which loses an alpha-particle to form radon, is 4.2×1011 joules per mole of radium. The possibilities of harnessing nuclear energy changes has been known since the time when Rutherford brought about the first transmutation of one element to another. This was accomplished by the action of alpha-particles on nitrogen gas to produce the isotope of oxygen-17.