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How elements are formed?

Our world is made of elements and combinations of elements called


compounds. An element is a pure substance made of atoms that are all of
the same type. At present, 116 elements are known, and only about 90 of
these occur naturally.

Elements and the ‘Big Bang’ theory


During the formation of the universe some 14 billion years ago in the so-
called ‘Big Bang’, only the lightest elements were formed
– hydrogen and helium along with trace amounts of lithium and beryllium.
As the cloud of cosmic dust and gases from the Big Bang cooled, stars
formed, and these then grouped together to form galaxies.
The other 86 elements found in nature were created in nuclear reactions
in these stars and in huge stellar explosions known as supernova.

isotopes
1. each of two or more forms of the same element that contain equal
numbers of protons but different numbers of neutrons in their nuclei, and
hence differ in relative atomic mass but not in chemical properties; in
particular, a radioactive form of an element.

Atoms and elements are made of protons, neutrons and electrons. The nucleus is made of protons and
neutrons, and the electrons surround the nucleus, as shown in the illustration below. The sum of the
number of protons and the number of neutrons is equal to the atomic mass.

In a given element, the number of neutrons can be different from each


other, while the number of protons is not. These different versions of the
same element are called isotopes. Isotopes are atoms with the same
number of protons but that have a different number of neutrons. Since the
atomic number is equal to the number of protons and the atomic mass is
the sum of protons and neutrons, we can also say that isotopes are
elements with the same atomic number but different mass numbers.
Let us take a look at an example.
Around the world, there are countless religions and scientific theories that
attempt to describe how our universe began. The information contained
below will attempt to outline a few of the main probable origins of the
universe.
The Big Bang Theory
This is the most popular scientific theory of the origin of the
universe. It states that at a specific moment in time, some 10-20 million
years ago, there was an immense explosion. The explosion caused
extremely high temperatures, sub-atomic particles, ie. matter and energy,
and space and time itself. The explosion sent the particles moving
outwards, which then cooled, condensed, and formed the universe, as we
know it.
The early events, including the explosion itself, are based on
quantum physics (the physics of atoms and their constitutes) and remain
hypothetical.
Einstein provided the foundations for this theory when he
proposed his

Special Theory of Relativity™, in which he suggested that mass and


energy are simply different forms of the one material. .
There is four main points supporting the ‘big bang’.
1) The universe is expanding. This could be accounted for by the
explosion sending matter outwards.
2) The origin of the background radiation. Big bang theorists say
that as the temperature cooled enough hydrogen atoms were able to form
from electrons and protons. From this time, radiation was released. .
3) Nucleosynthesis of the light elements. That means the creation
of the chemical elements by nuclear reactions. It has been proven that the
Big Bang, or any nuclear reaction like it would have produced chemical
elements similar to that found in the oldest known stars. .
4) Formation of galaxies and large scale structures. Years after the
Big Bang, as the universe cooled, matter particles became more numerous
than light and other radiation. As the particles slowed down because of
the cooler temperatures, they were drawn together because of gravity,
until they became dense and formed the galaxies and large-scale
structures.

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