Where Your Elements Came From

[pdq]

vitus wrote:
[quote=freeradical]
Is this correct? I always thought that the heaviest (as in proton count) element made through normal fusion in stars was iron, and that everything heavier was made in Type II supernovae (except the man made stuff that lasts for a fraction of a microsecond).

Iron is the limit of nuclear synthesis by means of slamming two lighter nuclei together since formation of heavier elements is endothermic, i.e. the binding energy per nucleon is less.

Formation of heavier elements can be accomplished either within stars by means of the s-process (slow neutron capture)...
Including elements like barium? That's a lot of neutrons to capture!

Also, going to the link, they suggest that most gold came from neutron star collisions (!)

Things have changed since I learned (a small amount of) this stuff...

[Z]

[honda factory picture goes here]

[sekker]

It's all elementary, my dear Dr Watson!

[fauch]

Where is the "G-d" option???

[Onamuji]

Which Elements Will Never Be Made By Our Sun?

https://medium.com/starts-with-a-bang/wh....2ysh1cmrt