Expert: Jayendra Upadhye - 7/12/2004

Question
last year, my 9th grade AP physical Science teacher told us that elements cannot be created from one another, but since fission reactions in stars combine two Hydrogen protons to form Helium, wouldn't this infact be creating another element? and since Hyrogen and Helium is thought to be the first elements in the Big Bang, how were the other elements created if you cannot create new elements. and if she is wrong, is it possible to turn lead into gold?

Answer
Hi!
charles..
The word is "FUSION" not "fission" when applying to stars.

What the teacher most probably meant was that this cannot be done "in a chem lab" or "easily" or "on the scale same as the commercial production of isolated stable elements".

Indeed as you rightly say, in the interiors of stars, all the elements of the periodic table from helium to iron are routinely cooked for millions of years. (as in pressure cookers :)..just joking).

But all elements beyond iron (as seen on the periodic table) are created by the shock wave that rebounds outward from the collaped cores of supernova stars.
This shock wave, as it propagates outwards thru the infalling material has enough energy to synthesize what the star could not synthesize during it's active life..elements from iron to uranium and beyond!

So be a sport and give her the benefit of doubt!
Jayen