Asked by caleb

What is the heaviest element that high-mass stars can produce?

gold

iron

carbon

nickel

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
iron

High-mass stars can fuse elements up to iron (and nearby nuclei like nickel-56 produced in supernovae). Fusion beyond iron is endothermic, so heavier elements are made mainly by neutron-capture processes in supernovae and neutron-star mergers.