Can the sun produce elements heavier than oxygen?

Answer 1

The heaviest element that our Sun produces is probably silicon; the core temperature and pressure would need to be MUCH higher to produce heavier elements. The heaviest element that can be produced in ANY star is iron.

The reason for this is something called the "packing fraction curve". As light elements are fused into heavier elements, they release energy; this is how the Sun and other stars work, by fusing hydrogen into helium. Toward the end of a star's life, the temperature and pressure increase enough to fuse helium into carbon, and then carbon into heavier elements, but each stage releases less and less energy. Finally, when elements fuse into iron, you can get no more energy out. To fuse iron into heavier things, or anything into elements heavier than iron, you must put energy IN. When a star begins fusing iron into heavy elements, it suddenly stops producing energy to support the star against the tremendous gravity, but instead starts sucking energy OUT of the core of the star to power fusion!

This loss of energy from the core of the star causes a sudden and catastrophic implosion as the core of the star collapses the core into a black hole or neutron star, and the outer layers of the star are compressed and expelled in a shock wave that creates gigatons of heavy elements and throws the remainder of the star's mass into space; a supernova explosion.

So, nothing heavier than iron can be produced in a normal star; heavier elements are only created in supernovas.

Answer 2

The most abundant metals are oxygen (roughly 1% of the Sun's mass), carbon (0.3%), neon (0.2%), and iron (0.2%)

Answer 3

No.