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Why is iron the heaviest element that can be produced in a star?
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Can the sun produce elements heavier than oxygen?
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.
The last two elements that a massive star produces are hydrogen and helium why is this the last reaction?
The star can fuse up to iron, because iron is the most stable element.
Why is iron the only element that can be produced in stars?
All elements (except hydrogen) are produced in stars through nuclear fusion (under tremendous heat, two hydrogen atoms fuse into one helium plus release pure energy). When the hydrogen is all fused, helium is fused into heavier elements at a higher temperature, then those are fused and so on until we get to iron. Iron is the element that will cause a star to collapse and then explode violently in a supernova. The explosion causes further fusion and creates still heavier elements.
What is the element that forms last in nuclear fusion in stars?
Existing element is product of nuclear fusion, heavy element exist from over fusion and thus create high atomic mass substance. To answer what is the element that is form last in nuclear fusion in star is the same as asking what is the heaviest element occur or found in nature. Base on what is in periodic table. The heaviest element found naturally is around Uranium - Plutonium thus it could be considered the last product known in nuclear fusion in star. There are heavier element than Uranium and Plutonium but those are synthesize element. Nuclear fusion might go to element heavier than what is known in our periodic table but those substance may be unstable and decay over time until none of those exist.
What can supernovas create?
A Supernova explosion will seed the surrounding space with all of the elements created by nuclear fusion in the various layers of the star that preceded the explosion. Nuclear fusion produces less and less energy the heavier the elements used. Once a supergiant star develops a core of Iron and Nickel 56 there is little or no energy being produced by fusion and the star collapses under its own gravitational force causing extreme heat and pressure and then a rebound explosion. This happens in seconds or less. Other products of this supernova are radiation and sub-atomic particles. The heaviest elements produced (Iron and Nickel) accrue neutrons thereby increasing their atomic weight and number and producing heavier and heavier elements. The heavier an element (or metal), the more rare it is. Neutron acquisition can be be either rapid (R-process) or slow (S-process).
What is the heaviest element that a star can produce through fusion before going supernova?
The heaviest element that can be produced prior to supernova is Iron (Fe).
Is iron a compound mixture element?
Iron is an element, and is the heaviest element that may be made by fusion in a Star such as our Sun.
Is iron compound mixture elements?
Iron is an element, and is the heaviest element that may be made by fusion in a Star such as our Sun.
Is iron the heaviest element made in abundance in massive stars?
Iron is the heaviest element made in the bowels of any star with the exception of a supernova explosion. All natural elements heavier than iron come from one of those.
What is the heaviest element that can be made by normal processes inside a star?
In very massive stars, Iron is sometimes generated.
What is the heaviest element a star with a mass of 1 solar mass can fuse?
Helium.
Is iron a element compound or mixture?
Iron is a chemical element. It is not a compound or a mixture. An element is a substance composed of only one type of atom. In the case of iron, it consists entirely of iron atoms. Iron is one of the 118 known chemical elements and is represented by the symbol "Fe" on the periodic table. It is a fundamental building block of matter and cannot be broken down into simpler substances through chemical reactions.
Why is iron the heaviest element that can be formed in stars?
It isn't. Heavier elements are formed in stars as well. Iron is basically the heaviest element for which energy can be gained. When converting iron into heavier elements, energy is lost. However, this doesn't stop supernovae, at a temperature of about one gigakelvin (a billion degrees), to form heavier elements. In fact, the interior of stars is practically the ONLY way such elements can be formed.
The final core element for a massive star is?
IRON
What does lead mean in science?
Lead is a heavy metal. An element. Atomic number 82 (has 82 protons in nucleus). Symbol is Pb, which comes from its Latin name plumbum. It is also the most nuclear stable element. That is, it is the end product of fusion. It is the heaviest element that is produced under normal fusion conditions in a star. Heavier elements (produced usually in supernova) decay usually into lead.
Were our iron atoms produced before our sun existed?
Yes, Iron atoms were produced via fission in the core of an ancient star that has died. We are all stardust.
Can the sun produce elements heavier than oxygen?
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.
