The formation of iron in the core therefore effectively concludes fusion processes and, with no energy to support it against gravity, the star begins to collapse in on itself. The reason is that fusion up until nuclei of 55 protons/neutrons or less will release energy. a. QUESTION: What happens when a star can no longer fuse hydrogen to helium in its core? Iron cannot be fused into anything heavier because of the insane amounts of energy and force required to fuse iron atoms. At that point, the energy required to fuse iron is more than the energy that you get from fusing iron, no matter how massive a star you are. Core cools off. Why are stars unable to fuse iron in their cores? W/o the energy generation, The fusion of iron would take more energy than it produces. C. Core expands and heats up. Well, stars, if they are large enough, CAN fuse iron, as long as it's an iron isotope of 55 or lower. Our star can't fuse iron at all, because it's not big enough either. The star has less than 1 second of life remaining. It is accepted that lighter elements can be built up in stars, but that method of element formation only works up to medium-weight elements like iron. The atomic structure of iron is very stable, more so than most other elements. The reason for this is that stars prevent their own gravitational collapse by balancing their immense gravity with the outward pressure of the energy/radiation produced by the fusion reactions in … The process is what powers our own Sun, and therefore is the root source of all the energy on Earth. D. Helium fusion immediately begins. Stellar nucleosynthesis is the creation (nucleosynthesis) of chemical elements by nuclear fusion reactions within stars. A spinning neutron star has been observed at the center of a ________. d. Pressures are never high enough to trigger iron fusion.

Fe isn’t the final element produced in a collapsing star. For example, our food is based on eating plants or eating things that eat plants, and plants use sunlight to make food. Iron, however, is the most stable element and must actually absorb energy in order to fuse into heavier elements. A. Temperatures are never high enough to trigger iron fusion.
Nuclear fusion is the lifeblood of stars, and an important process in understanding how the universe works. Whether you choose to fuse iron or fizz iron, your products of the reaction will need to have grater nuclear energy than the iron reactants themselves. These conditions exist in the cores of massive stars near the ends of their lives. Fe is the final element produced in a star before it collapses. b.
c. The fusion of iron would take more energy than it produces. At that stage, they generate so much energy that they essentially boil off their outer layers, in a stellar nova.

Core shrinks and heats up.

Normal stars, like our sun, live just long enough to begin fusing helium into carbon. Furthermore, virtually everything in our bodies is made from elements that …