Stars begin their lives from molecular clouds or nebula of gases and dust. These gases and dusts exert forces to each other that make them want to move farther away from each other while at the same time there is gravity that attracts them together into a small space within the nebula. The chemistry which starts the star’s life begins when gravity starts winning in the war between the two aforementioned opposing forces. As gravity pulls the dust and clouds together it begins to accumulate mass and a swirling motion typical to a spinning disc. At its center are dusts (NH3, CN, H2, CO, and CS). Note that it is the dust that is the main reason for the collapsing together of other components in the nebula including hydrogen. Dust extinguishes starlight which results to the freezing and the collapsing together of its own components plus hydrogen. As the dust forms a denser core through gravity heat starts to be produced and fusion ensues such as the fusion of atomic hydrogen into molecular hydrogen or Helium (Smith 5):
H + H H2.
2H + H He + gamma rays
The result of the fusion process is the emission of nuclear radiation which further heats-up the forming star and fuels up further the formation of other elements within the newly formed core – the center of the spiral. Hydrogen and helium further undergo fusion to form new elements such as carbon and nitrogen. These elements are in continuous reaction with each other to form new elements, and so the core of the star becomes the site of element synthesis. These elements are the ones necessary for the necessary for the birth of life on newly formed planets. As the fusion takes place the star blows out the remaining surrounding clouds as well as expels the majority of the denser elements into space clearing its surroundings. The spiral eventually assumes a spherical shape just like the star nearest to us, which is the sun. Other reactions that take place in the core of stars are those that involve the formation of ionized compounds (Williams and Harquist 337):
C + H3+ CH+ + H2 CH2+ + H2 CH3+ + e- CH + CH2
CH + O HCO+ + e- CO + He
Note that compounds such as NHx and H2O and OH are formed in similar ways as those shown above. Moreover, the CH2+ chemical species is theorized to be the precursor for the formation of hydrocarbons, which are also essential for life formation ones they made it to planets or asteroids. Basically all the precursors of life, which is the components of DNA are all formed in the core of stars: O2, H2, N2, and C, are all formed from stars. Other components of DNA such as S are also formed within the stars. The essential compound (H2O), which is essential to sustain life is also theorized to have started in in the interaction of neutral molecules synthesized from the early years of the star’s formation with the dust grains (d). The proposed chemical reaction for this is (Ward-Thompson, Fraser and Rawlings 1):
O + d O---d + H H2O---d H2O + d
As aforementioned, before the star takes a spherical form it first turns into swirling disc. It is this swirling disc that planets can form, which are in majority the giant gas planets like Jupiter. As the time passes heavier elements are synthesized such as iron or led and accumulate to form smaller planets, just like the earth or mars (NASA). With the components of the DNA synthesized by the stars formation and the possible residence such as the denser much smaller planets like the earth. Life is made possible.
Another role of the stars in sustaining life is the continuous emission of electromagnetic radiation which serves as energy source for further chemical reactions that take place on planets that provides conducive conditions for the spawning of life. In the theory of evolution, it is theorized that electrical discharges from ionized gas species from the atmosphere provided the energy needed to form the earliest forms of DNAs which then resulted to the formation of living primitive bacteria and eventually to earth lives that we know today. Our star’s energy, the sun, basically drives all chemical reactions that sustain life. Photosynthesis, which is the primary chemical process which allows the storing of electromagnetic radiation into chemical bonds so that secondary consumers can utilize them for motion and reproduction, is driven by the energy that is emitted from the sun. The chemical reaction equation for photosynthesis is given below, notice how photons, which came from the sun, serve as reactants in the process (Smith 5):
2n CO2 + 2n H2O + photons → 2(CH2O)n + 2n O2.
Note that the death of stars also serves as excellent conditions to form heavier elements such as Pb and Iron, which are also essential for the formation of other planets. Basically, the entire life cycle of the stars involves chemical reactions and all these chemical reactions release energy that drives the cycle of life (National Radio Astronomy Observatory).
In conclusion, the chemistry of that forms stars starts when dust and gases from nebulae clump together due to gravity and are set in motion by the interaction of two opposing force – that of gravity and the dissipative forces of the gases. The clumping together of the nebulae components drives the production of heat that provides the necessary condition for the synthesis of the basic elements and compounds that could become the cause of life – the formation of DNA. Aside from the synthesis of such elements and compounds, the continuous emission of electromagnetic radiation from stars allows the supporting of life on the planets that are within their planetary systems. Even the death of starts serves as a process that signals the potential for starting new life. It can be concluded therefore, that life can be attributed to the chemical reactions and the chemistry of stars. Without the stars there can be no life, even all the life forms that we know of in this earth.
Works Cited
NASA. Webb Science: The Birth of Stars and Protoplanetary. 2014. Web. 12 December 2014. <http://jwst.nasa.gov/birth.html>.
National Radio Astronomy Observatory. Birth of Planets Revealed in Astonishing Detail in ALMA’s ‘Best Image Ever’. 6 November 2014. Web. 12 December 2014. <https://public.nrao.edu/static/pr/planet-formation-alma.html>.
Smith, Alison. Plant biology. New York, NY: 2010. Print. p. 5.
Ward-Thompson, Derek; Fraser, Helen and Rawlings, Jonathan. The chemistry of star formation. 2014. Oxford Journals. 12 December 2014. <http://astrogeo.oxfordjournals.org/content/43/4/4.26.full>.
Williams, David A. and Harquist, Thomas W. The Chemistry of Star Forming Regions. UK Accounts of Chemical Research, 32.1(1999): pp. 334-341.
