How are elements lighter than iron formed?

Answer 1

Generally, no. The lighter elements are made by nuclear fusion in the cores of stars. The heavier elements are made in the supernova explosions that take place at the end of a large star's life cycle.

Answer 2

Lets start with Hydrogen. Hydrogen is the lightest element. When a star combines two Hydrogen atoms together at almost the speed of light, the Hydrogen atoms fuse to make helium.The star continues to do this until it runs out of Hydrogen atoms.When it does, it does, the star fuses the Helium atoms to make Beryllium.When it runs out of Helium The star combines Beryllium to make Carbon. This process continues until the star makes iron .Then the star blows up.All those atoms goes into our buildings and homes.

Answer 3

In supernova stars. When light elements such as hydrogen or helium fuse to produce other elements, this releases energy, and powers the star. When heavier elements fuse to produce elements heavier than iron, this CONSUMES energy, and removes energy from the star. Without the energy of fusion helping to prevent the star from collapsing, it does IMMEDIATELY collapse, and the energy of the collapse causes other heavy atoms to continue fusing into more heavier atoms.

The core of the star, crushed by the mass suddenly falling into it, collapses into a neutron star or black hole, while the middle layers of the star are blasted back into space, carrying away much of the heavy mass. Millions of years later, the heavy dust such as iron, gold or uranium falls into a new stellar nebula, and may become part of a new solar system. We know that our own Earth formed this way; every atom of an element heavier than carbon must have been formed in the collapse and explosion of a supernova. Nothing else is powerful enough to create the gold in your ring, the iron in your blood, or the uranium in your nuclear power plants.