How are elements such as gold created and why can’t humans creat
In: Chemistry
Mostly a [heart of a star going nova.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_element#Origin_of_the_elements). The energy levels and pressure in the explosion of a star rams together smaller elements.
Hydrogen forms naturally from the big bang cooling. Some smaller elements will form from cosmic rays smacking hyrodgen together.
The nominal day to day pressure will fuse elements up to iron, which settle down into the core and don’t fuse any higher and generally don’t get any more dense. Once the fuel of hydrogen runs out and the fusion that keeps everything in a bubbling burbling turmoil slacks off, the gravity crushes everything together so much that the sun explodes.
Really big elements need a super-nova crushing them together and they fall apart given enough time.
Humans CAN create gold by smacking smaller elements together or splitting apart larger elements. We have no-joke achieved transmutation. But the amounts we can make in a collider are very very small and not worth the effort. Still, it’d be really cool to have a flake of transmuted gold.
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