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by wickedwillie on January 30th, 2004

wickedwillie

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How is gold formed in nature?

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  • by James Beatty on April 28th, 2004

    James Beatty

    Gold, like all other elements in the universe heavier than lithium, is created in stars, by the process of nuclear fusion. However, the formation of different elements varies according to their atomic number.

    Elements lighter than iron are formed by "helium capture" fusion, where nuclei capture a helium-4 nucleus and fuse with it into a heavier elment. For example, a carbon-12 nucleus could collide with helium-4 and produce oxygen-16 and energy. The iron nucleus is more strongly bound than any other nucleus, and so there is basically "no room" for the helium-4 to fuse with it.

    Elements heavier than iron are formed by neutron capture, or s-process, fusion. In this type of fusion, nuclei capture stray neutrons -- it is called s-process as it happens much slower than helium capture. This process is responsible for all elements from iron to bismuth, like gold.

    Elements heavier than bismuth are thought to be formed in supernovae, when pressures and temperatures are much higher than possible in a stable star.

    Comments

    • Useful, but hypothesis of heavy atom stellar fusion has little or no support in observation/experiment. It is speculative.

      Thom64

      by Thom64 on April 13th, 2005

    • Thom64, it is speculative in the fact that we do not have a time machine and can prove that that is how they were made but only in that sense. This theory, like all other theories in science, is created based upon the evidence before us. If we can produce artificial elements like Technetium and Einsteinium by nuclear fusion then why could heavy elements like these occur in nature by nuclear fusion?

      Farino

      by Farino on September 13th, 2007

    • Nice answer, JB. I had been under the impression that all elements heavier than iron were formed in supernovae. Is the bismuth limit for neutron capture well-known?

      xprofessor

      by xprofessor on June 3rd, 2009

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