PHYSICAL SCIENCE

SECOND SEMESTER
 CONTENT

How the elements found

in the universe were
formed.
 Content Standard

 1. the
formation of the elements
during the Big Bang and stellar
evolution.

 2. the distribution of the chemical

elements and the isotopes in the
universe.
At the end of the lesson, the learners
will be able to:

 1. Briefly
discuss stellar
nucleosynthesis or fusion
2. Discuss other processes that led
to other elements
 3. Write out fusion reactions
involved
Important terms that learners will
encounter
 Stellar nucleosynthesis
 is the process by which the natural
abundances of the chemical elements within
stars change due to nuclear fusion reactions
in the cores and their overlying mantles.
Stars are said to evolve (age) with changes
in the abundances of the elements within.
Stellar nucleosynthesis
 Nuclear fusion
Nuclear fusion is a nuclear reaction
in which two or more atomic nuclei
come close enough to form one or
more different atomic nuclei and
subatomic particles (neutrons
and/or protons).
Fusion is the process that powers active or
"main sequence" stars, or other high
magnitude stars.
proton–proton chain reaction
 The is one of the two (known) sets of
fusion reactions by which stars convert
hydrogen to helium. It dominates in
stars the size of the Sun or smaller.[1]
(The other reaction is the CNO cycle, a
catalytic cycle which theoretical models
suggest is the dominant source of
energy in stars more massive than about
1.3 times the mass of the Sun.)

proton–proton chain reaction
 Triple – alpha process
The triple-alpha process is a set
of nuclear fusion reactions by
which three helium-4 nuclei
(alpha particles) are
transformed into carbon.[1][2]
Triple – alpha process
 CNO cycle
 CNO cycle (for carbon–nitrogen–
oxygen) is one of the two known sets
of fusion reactions by which stars
convert hydrogen to helium, the other
being the proton–proton chain
reaction. Unlike the latter, the CNO
cycle is a catalytic cycle. It is dominant
in stars that are more than 1.3 times as
massive as the Sun.[1]
CNO cycle
 Main sequence stars

Main sequence stars fuse hydrogen

atoms to form helium atoms in their
cores. About 90 percent of the stars
in the universe, including the sun,
are main sequence stars. These stars
can range from about a tenth of the
mass of the sun to up to 200 times
as massive.
Main sequence stars
 Red giant star

A red giant star is a dying star in

the last stages of stellar
evolution. In only a few billion
years, our own sun will turn into
a red giant star, expand and
engulf the inner planets,
possibly even Earth.
 Supernova.
The brilliant point of light is the
explosion of a star that has reached
the end of its life, otherwise known
as a supernova. Supernovas can
briefly outshine entire galaxies and
radiate more energy than our sun
will in its entire lifetime. They're
also the primary source of heavy
elements in the universe.
 Supernova nucleosynthesis
is a theory of the production of
many different chemical elements
in supernova explosions, first
advanced by Fred Hoyle in 1954.
The nucleosynthesis, or fusion of
lighter elements into heavier ones,
occurs during explosive oxygen
burning and silicon burning.
Supernova nucleosynthesis
Elements during Supernova
Nucleonsynthesis
 s-process
 Neutron-capture processes add neutrons to
nuclei. The neutrons then decay into protons,
raising the atomic number of a nucleus one
proton at a time. If the capture process happens
slowly enough that a neutron captured by a
nucleus decays to a proton before another
neutron is added, it is called the slow or s-
process. The s-process can occur in the
atmosphere of large stars as well as in supernova
explosions.
s-process
 r-process
 The r-process is a nucleosynthesis process that
occurs in core-collapse supernovae and is
responsible for the creation of approximately
half of the neutron-rich atomic nuclei heavier
than iron.
 The process entails a succession of rapid
neutron captures (hence the name r-process)
by heavy seed nuclei, typically 56Fe or other
more neutron-rich heavy isotopes.
 The r-process is thought to be responsible for
heavy elements such as lead and uranium.
r-process