Which is one way to determine whether a reaction was a chemical reaction or a nuclear reaction?
a) check for a change in total mass during the reaction
b) check to see if any energy was released during the reaction
c) measure the temperature change during the reaction
d) measure the total volume of gas released during the reaction

B) check to see if any energy was released during the reaction

Energy changes accompanying nuclear reactions are much larger. This energy comes from the destruction of mass. In a nuclear reaction, mass is not strictly conserved. Some of the mass is converted into energy, according to the equation E = mc2 and the order of energy evolved during a nuclear reaction is much higher than that of a chemical reaction. So, one of the significant way to determine weather the reaction is chemical or nuclear is to check how much energy was released during the reaction.

Check for a change in total mass during the reaction.

Explanation:

It is not Check to see if any energy was released during the reaction.

plasma - state of matter made up of electrically charged particles