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Formation of Elements

The document discusses the formation of elements from the Big Bang to present day. It describes how light elements like hydrogen and helium formed in the early universe, how nuclear fusion in stars formed heavier elements up to iron, and how elements heavier than iron are formed through neutron capture or in supernova explosions. It also provides historical context on theories of matter from ancient Greek philosophers to alchemists to the scientific revolution.

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Jesiah Pascual
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56 views39 pages

Formation of Elements

The document discusses the formation of elements from the Big Bang to present day. It describes how light elements like hydrogen and helium formed in the early universe, how nuclear fusion in stars formed heavier elements up to iron, and how elements heavier than iron are formed through neutron capture or in supernova explosions. It also provides historical context on theories of matter from ancient Greek philosophers to alchemists to the scientific revolution.

Uploaded by

Jesiah Pascual
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Formation of Elements

EVIDENCES

RED SHIFT
COSMIC MICROWAVE RADIATION
(CMB)
ABUNDANCE/ TYPES OF ELEMENTS
Big Bang
 According to this, there was one time there was a hot region where
all matter and energy were concentrated and the universe began in
an enormous expansion (inflation) which caused rapid increase in
size of the universe.
 The origin of Big Bang can be credited by Edwin Hubble. He found
out the galaxy’s velocity is proportional to distance
 After inflation, the growth of universe continued but at slower
rate. The universe expanded quickly and the temperature dropped.
Matter was formed. After the Big Bang was filled with gluons and
quarks.
Evidences of Big Bang
Nuclear Fusion
 Occurs when very light
nuclei are combined to
form heavier nuclei.
 In stars, energy is
produced and released
out of hydrogen fusion
Formation of Light Elements
 Light elements were formed during the process of nucleosynthesis
(by nuclear fusion of 2 or more nucleons)
 The cold temperature allowed enough of these quarks and gluons to
condense into nucleons which formed hydrogen and helium
 Based on the Big Bang, the temperatures in the early universe were
so high which paved way to the formation of light elements
 In fusion, many nuclei combine to make a larger nuclei which is a
different element
`
Formation of Heavier Elements
 The clumping of matter was initiated when the gravity was able to
act on areas that have higher concentration which would form stars
with increasing temperature at the second level
 the collision resulted to increased velocity which caused the mass
of H and He to be spherical (Protostar)
 In more massive stars, further reactions that convert helium to
carbon dioxide and oxygen take place in successive stages of stellar
evolution.
 In very massive stars, reaction chain continues to produce elements
like silicon up to iron.
Stellar Nucleosynthesis
 Smallest stars can only convert hydrogen into helium
 Medium-sized stars can convert helium into oxygen and carbon
 Several reactions take place in case of massive stars
 Fusion of carbon and oxygen into neon, sodium, magnesium, sulfur
and silicon. These elements are further transformed into calcium,
nickel, iron, chromium, copper and others
 When large stars are already old, with depleted cores, they create
heavy elements which is referred as natural elements heavier than
iron.
Formation of elements > Fe
 Are made through the process of nucleosynthesis by neutron
capture
 Since neutron is electrically neutral, nuclei can fuse with it
 Each neutron capture produces an isotope (either stable or
unstable)
 Unstable isotope will decay by emitting a positron and neutrino to
produce new element

A neutron is captured
An isotope is produced
Unstable isotopes decay into new elements
Supernova Nucleosynthesis
 Elements heavier than nickel are formed in cataclysmic explosions
 When the fuel in the core of very massive star has been consumed,
it collapses
 When compressed, iron and nickel disintegrate to protons and many
proton captures electron to form neutrons which forms a dense
dark neutron star which causes supernova to explode in formation
of new element.
Chemical elements and isotopes in
the Universe
 There are 81 stable elements found on earth (non-radioactive)
 10 naturally occurring radioactive
 19 more radioactive elements have been artificially produced
 26 elements have only one stable isotope
Atomic Concept
By convention, there is color, sweetness, bitterness. But in
reality they are atoms and space
Democritus
Atom for the Ancient Greeks
 Empedocles: proposed there were 4 fundamental elements: air,
water, earth and fire in which substances constitute all matter
Atom for the Ancient Greeks
 Anaximenes: air is the primary substance which could be transformed
into other substances

BREATH PSYCHE

AIR
Soul: The
Air: The Beginning of
Breath of Life
Life
Atom for the Ancient Greeks
 Heraclitus of Ephesus: primeval substance is fire and change is the only reality
Atom for the Ancient Greeks
 Pythagoras: uses math in explaining matter by representing geometric solids
in the basic elements
Atom for the Ancient Greeks
 Leucippus and Democritus: matter is made up of indivisible particles or
atoms. As for Democritus, atoms are indivisible regarded as the basic building
block of universe and further believed nature is formed by random collisions
of atoms
Atom for the Ancient Greeks
 Aristotle added Empedocles’ idea: hot, moist, cold and dry. For
him every substances were composed of 4 elements.
 Because of Aristotle’s great influence, Democritus’ theory waited
for almost 2000 years before it was rediscovered
Atom for the Ancient Greeks

 Plato: coined the word element and was influenced by Pythagoras.


He believed substances can be transformed wherein the four sides of
regular objects could be resolved into triangles to form any
substances
Alchemist’s Contribution
 The Greek philosophy was influenced by practical oriental
technology and religious mysticism giving rise to alchemy which
dominates next 2000 years of chemical history
 They started using symbols of elements and first investigate how
materials could be changed into other substances
 Alchemists contributed to the development of metal industry and
turn it into Philosopher's stone and believed that elements could be
changed into other elements.
 Philippus Paracelsus: believed the main purpose of alchemy was
to discover and create chemicals and medications to cure disease
 Alchemy’s theory of matter is
based upon Aristotle’s theory of
the two pairs of opposed
qualities produced by pairwise
conjunction of 4 qualities that
interchange to form substances
Scientific Revolution
 Evangelista Torricelli showed that air had weight which led him to
invent barometer
 Daniel Bernoulli developed a theory that air and other gas consist
of tiny particles bouncing
 Joseph Priestly discovered dephlogisticated air (oxygen)
 Antoine Lavoisier: pointed out the role of oxygen in combustion,
name the elements and help reform the chemical nomenclature.
 From hereon, extensive discoveries and studies of many fields in
science and math that leads us to our understanding of the world
today.

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