This article at DGT says: "we are not talking about nuclear energy but chemical energy derived from transmutation."
That does not make a damn bit of sense. It is contradictory. "Transmutation" means changing from element to another. That is to say, changing the nucleus of the atom. When you change the nucleus you change the level of nuclear energy. You can't *not* do that. Any energy release is nuclear energy by definition. It reminds me of a ditty: "Mother, mother, may I go for a swim? Yes, my darling daughter. Hang your clothes by the hickory bush, but don't go near the water!" Chemical energy is what you get from changing electron bonds, It cannot affect the nucleus, which means it cannot directly trigger a transmutation. In cold fusion, chemical processes promote or trigger nuclear changes. That is analogous to the chemical explosives used to implode a plutonium core in a fission bomb. The chemical reaction produces a mechanical transformation which in turn triggers the nuclear reaction. I assume something similar is happening on a microscopic scale in cold fusion. - Jed
