When nuclear fission takes place I understand that a great deal of heat (energy) is created and a certain amount of mass is destroyed. What particles are destroyed? The protons, the neutrons, the electrons or all of them?
Also, when there is a routine chemical reaction in the lab that is exothermic, of course heat (energy) is released. I assume that very small sub-atomic particles must be consumed in order to create this energy. What kinds of particles are they? The nature of each element or molecule is not changed since, at the end of the reaction you have the same number and types of atoms -- just formed into different molecules. So what is lost?