When 2 hydrogen nuclei fuse do they make helium?

Answer 1

No, an element depends on the average amount of electrons it has.

Actually in stellar nuclear fusion it takes 4 hydrogen nuclei to fuse to make one helium nucleus, the process is called proton-proton burning.

Answer 2

Generally speaking, this is what happens in the sun and other stars, though the hydrogen and helium particles are more accurately referred to as a nucleus (for one) or nuclei (for more than one). This is the central collection of protons/neutrons. This is because the electrons are no longer in orbit around the nuclei at such extreme pressures and temperatures, so they are not complete atoms.

Nuclear fusion is a term to describe lighter nuclei joining (or fusing) together to form heavier nuclei. For fusion in the sun and other stars its a little more complicated than just two hydrogen nuclei fusing to make a helium nucleus, but this is the net result (it happens in a few stages though). Initially, two protons fuse together (hydrogen atom nuclei) to form deuterium. These in turn may fuse with further protons, or with another deuterium nuclei to form a helium nuclei. As the heavier nuclei form, lots of energy is released in the form of gamma radiation, while protons are converted to neutrons through emissions of positrons.

Answer 3

Yes, when two hydrogen nuclei fuse together, they can form helium. This process is known as nuclear fusion and it occurs in the core of stars, including our Sun, where hydrogen nuclei combine to produce helium through a series of fusion reactions.