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The Periodic Table and Organismal Elements00:57

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Elements are the smallest units of matter that cannot be broken down further by chemical processes. There are 118 known elements, but not all of these are naturally occurring, and only a few of them are essential for life. Living matter is composed primarily of carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen, with smaller amounts of other elements like calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur. Other elements are also necessary for life but only in trace amounts.
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As early chemists discovered more elements, they realized that various elements could be grouped by their similar chemical behaviors. One such grouping includes lithium (Li), sodium (Na), and potassium (K). All of these elements are shiny, conduct heat and electricity well, and have similar chemical properties. A second grouping includes calcium (Ca), strontium (Sr), and barium (Ba), which also are shiny, good conductors of heat and electricity, and have chemical properties in common. However,...
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The periodic table arranges atoms based on increasing atomic number so that elements with the same chemical properties recur periodically. When their electron configurations are added to the table, a periodic recurrence of similar electron configurations in the outer shells of these elements is observed. Because they are in the outer shells of an atom, valence electrons play the most important role in chemical reactions. The outer electrons have the highest energy of the electrons in an atom...
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A chemical symbol is an abbreviation used to indicate an element or an atom of an element. For example, the symbol for mercury is Hg. The same symbol is used to indicate one atom of mercury (microscopic domain) or to label a container of many atoms of the element mercury (macroscopic domain).
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Populating the periodic table: Nucleosynthesis of the elements.

Jennifer A Johnson1

  • 1Department of Astronomy and Center for Cosmology and AstroParticle Physics, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA. johnson.3064@osu.edu.

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The creation of elements heavier than helium occurs through stellar nucleosynthesis during the lives and deaths of stars. Different stellar masses and evolutionary paths contribute uniquely to the cosmic abundance of elements over time.

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Area of Science:

  • Astronomy
  • Astrophysics
  • Nuclear Physics

Background:

  • Elements heavier than helium are synthesized through nucleosynthesis within stars.
  • Stellar evolution, including the life cycles of both low-mass and high-mass stars, plays a crucial role in element production.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the processes and timing of nucleosynthesis responsible for creating elements heavier than helium.
  • To explain how different stellar types and events contribute to the cosmic abundance of elements.

Main Methods:

  • Review of stellar evolution models.
  • Analysis of nucleosynthesis pathways in stars of varying mass.
  • Examination of element distribution from stellar explosions and mergers.

Main Results:

  • High-mass stars rapidly fuse heavier nuclei and explode as supernovae, dispersing elements.
  • Supernovae remnants like neutron stars can merge, synthesizing additional heavy elements.
  • Low-mass stars shed outer layers, leaving white dwarfs that can also merge and create elements.

Conclusions:

  • Stellar nucleosynthesis is the primary source of elements heavier than helium.
  • The diverse life cycles and deaths of stars, including supernovae and white dwarf mergers, continuously enrich the universe with a wide array of elements.
  • The changing composition of the universe is a direct consequence of ongoing stellar activity and element production over cosmic timescales.