Compare the role of nuclear fusion in the formation of the earth's naturally occurring elements and in the creation of synthetic elements in the laboratory?

Answer 1

The range of elements found on earth were formed by some supernova explosion in the distant past, and somehow the earth was formed from the debris and then captured by the sun. Fusion must have been involved though the exact course of these events can only be surmised. Nuclear fusion has not been used on earth to create synthetic elements, and in fact has only been produced in a few places for very short times, less than one second. You are probably thinking of nuclear fission, where operation of nuclear reactors does produce synthetic elements such as plutonium. These are called the transuranic elements.

Answer 2

Nuclear fusion in the early universe and stars created naturally occurring elements through the process of nucleosynthesis, forming elements such as hydrogen, helium, and heavier elements up to iron. In the laboratory, nuclear fusion can be used to create synthetic elements by bombarding target nuclei with high-energy particles, leading to the formation of new, often superheavy, elements not found in nature.