Physical Science

Formation of the Elements During the Big Bang
Big Bang Theory

● Big Bang Theory is the stretching of a singular atom that led to the expansion of the universe 14 billion
years ago.
● not an explosion
● Big Bang Theory is the modern theory in terms of the origin of Earth. It is about the expanding universe
hypothesis.
Beginning of Everything
● 10⁻⁵ seconds = 0.00001 seconds after the big bang
● Quarks combine forming protons and neutrons; (quarks are fast moving points of energy. they make
up protons and neutrons which make up an atom’s nucleus. Each proton and neutron contains 3
quarks.)
● Protons and neutrons combine to form H, He, Li, and Be through the process of Big Bang
nucleosynthesis.
Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN)

● Big bang nucleosynthesis is the formation of nuclei.
Four Important Concepts

1. The Big bang is an expansion of space.
- it is still expanding
➢ Vesto Slipher (1910) - discovered that the spiral nebulae (galaxies) are moving away from the earth.
➢ Georges Lemaitre (1927) - explained that the space is expanding due to the expanding distance
between the galaxies and the earth. He provided an explanation about the discovery of Slipher, stating
that the reason behind spiral nebulae moving away from the Earth is because the universe is expanding.
➢ Edwin Hubble (1929) - discovered that the galaxies are moving away from earth at speeds
proportional to their distance.
2. As the universe expands, it cools.
3. The more energetic the particles are, the higher their temperature will be. (water is more energetic
than ice)
4. The identity of the element depends on how many protons it has.
● It does not matter how many neutrons they have, just count the number of protons and you
will be able to know what type of element it is.
BIGBANG NUCLEOSYNTHESIS
● The universe is very hot a few seconds after the Big Bang. And because of that, when protons and
neutrons collide, they are destroyed instead of combined. The universe is not very hot forever, as the
universe expands it cools.
● BNN starts when a proton and neutron combines to form deuteron (newly formed nucleus).
● Deuterium is the atom containing the deuteron or the nucleus.
● Isotopes refer to the 2 or more types of atom that have the same atomic number.
● Atomic number is equal to the number of protons. Deuteron has one proton only.
● Isotopes of Hydrogen (first most abundant element):
➢Protium - one proton
➢Deuterium - one proton, one neutron
➢Tritium - one proton, 2 neutrons
● Isotopes of Helium (second most abundant element):
➢Helium 3 - 2 proton, 1 neutron
➢Helium 4 - 2 proton, 2 neutron
● Cesium and Xenon have the highest number of isotopes with 36 known isotopes.
How are these elements formed through nucleosynthesis?
Helium
● When a tritium, an isotope of hydrogen, hit another proton and combined with it, results to 2 protons
and 2 neutrons
Lithium and Beryllium

● it requires more energy to form them because they are bigger and heavier than hydrogen and helium,
that’s why there are just a few lithium and beryllium formed in the universe.
● Lithium is formed through the collision and combination of ⁴He and tritium
● Beryllium is formed through the collision and combination of ⁴He and ³He.
Formation of the Heavier Elements During Star Formation and Evolution

● Flying balloon- Helium
● Falling balloon- Air
- Nitrogen - 78%
- Oxygen - 21%
- Other elements - 1%
● Oxygen is more reactive that nitrogen
Dmitri Mendeleev
- Arranged the the old periodic table of elements
- He arranged the elements under the periodic law or Mendeleev law, it states that the elements are
arrange depending on their characteristics. Elements that have the same characteristics fall in the same
vertical column.
Henry Moseley
- Arranged the modern periodic table
- He arranged the elements by their atomic number
The sun and other stars

- Stars are a ball of fire
- 15-20 minutes after the big bang the protons and neutrons cannot combine anymore due to the lack of
heat. The sun and other stars now formed the heavier elements
- The stars are the greatest makers of heavier elements.
- The stars do not twinkle, and not little.
- The star only seem o twinkle because of the refraction of the starlight in the earth surface. The star only
seem to be small because they are far from the earth
Nuclear Fusion
- Starts from the collapse of a stellar nebular (cloud of gas and dust that form new stars)– the birthplace
of the stars
- They fuse the nucleus of hydrogen to form heavier elements
- Due to the collapse, gas , and dust particles compress, creates friction (producing heat), and result to a
production of star.
What will happen if there is no longer hydrogen inside the star?

It depends on the kind of star
● If a medium-sized star (sun), it will become a red giant. Nuclear fusion continues using helium to form
heavier elements. (Beryllium, Carbon, Oxygen)
● If a massive-sized star, it will become a red supergiant. Can fuse more elements like Ne, Si, up to Fe.
Life Cycle of a medium-sized star

1. Stellar nebula
2. Medium-sized star
3. Red Giant
4. Planetary nebula
5. White dwarf- the core, there is still heat
6. Black dwarf- ending of the life
Life Cycle of a massive-sized star

1. Stellar nebula
2. Massive sized star
3. Red super Giant
4. Supernova
5. Neuron star or Blackhole
Supernova
- Is a powerful and luminous explosion of a star. A supernova occurs during the last evolutionary stages
of a massive star
- Supernovas allowed the fusion of stars, to make heavier elements
Neutron Capture
- is a nuclear reaction in which an atomic nucleus and one or more neutrons collide and merge to form
heavier elements
Lesson 1.1 Electrons in Atoms

Main idea: Electrons can be described in terms of their location and energy
1. Dalton’s Model
• simplest model
• Proposed in 1803 by English chemist John Dalton (1766-1844), depicted that atom
is an empty and indivisible sphere.
Atoms are tiny, hard spheres that cannot be split up.
• Atoms of the same element are identical.
2. Thomson’s Model
• British physicist Joseph John Thomson (1856-1940) discovered the electron. He
proposed in 1904 the plum pudding model to account for his observations
• This model described the atom as a large, positively charged sphere in which
negatively charged electrons are embedded.
• Electrons are distributed inside a positive mass like raising in a plum pudding.
3. Rutherford Model
• British physicist Ernest Rutherford (1871-1937) and his students through their gold
foil experiment found that the atom consists mostly of empty space and has a massive
positively charged center. These finding led to the development of the nuclear model
of the atom
• Most of the atom's mass is inside the nucleus. Electrons circle the nucleus. Most of
the atom is empty space
• Father of nuclear physics
• All the positive charges were concentrated in the nucleus.
Ernest Rutherford - Planetary model/ Nuclear model
4. Completed Nuclear Model - James Chadwick

• The discovery of uncharged neutrons in 1932 by british physicist James Chadwick
(1891-1974) Completed the model, with a nucleus composed of protons and
neutrons at the center and electrons surrounding it.
5. Bohr’s Model
• In 1913 Danish physicist Niels Bohr (1885-1962) theorized that each
electron travels around the nucleus in a specific orbit having a discrete
amount of energy.
• With these findings Bohr modified Rutherford’s model by including
concentric circles around the nucleus that represent the orbits of the
electron
• Electrons orbit around the nucleus along concentric orbital paths.
• Electrons have quantized energy levels and they can transfer from one
orbit to another.
Valence Electron
• if the negatively charged subatomic particle found outside the nucleus of an atom.
• d-block element

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Physical Science

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Formation of the Elements During the Big Bang

Big Bang Theory

Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN)

Four Important Concepts

2. As the universe expands, it cools.

Lithium and Beryllium

Formation of the Heavier Elements During Star Formation and Evolution

The sun and other stars

What will happen if there is no longer hydrogen inside the star?

Life Cycle of a medium-sized star

Life Cycle of a massive-sized star

Lesson 1.1 Electrons in Atoms

4. Completed Nuclear Model - James Chadwick

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