Fluorine can be found in everyday products like toothpaste and chewing gums. Some areas especially add fluoride to their water. Its origin was a mystery, but no more as astronomers at Lund University in Sweden along with experts from Ireland and the US finally have an answer.
As per them, fluorine was formed billions of years ago in now dead stars, which were quite big in size akin to the Sun. Researchers said fluorine has formed in heavier stars, towards the end of their existence.
"So, the fluorine in our toothpaste originates from the sun's dead ancestors", said Nils Ryde, a reader in astronomy at Lund University. To prove hypothesis of their study, Ryde along with team-members studied stars that have formed at different points in the history of universe. Main aim of the study was to know if this amount of fluorine these stars have matches with the proposition of the theory.
Ryde said that by assessing the light emitted by stars, they can calculate elements present in them. Every light has a specific wavelength that indicates about the presence of certain element.
For the study, researchers have used two different instruments. They have taken the help of a telescope on Hawaii and a new instrument was also put in use, which is quite sensitive to light. When temperature is high and pressure also increases inside a star, then many chemical elements are formed in it.
Fluorine is formed at the end stage of star's life or when the star is at the stage to become a red giant. At that time, fluorine shifts to outer parts of the star. As the star casts off the outer parts, fluorine gets spread and gets involved in a process known as the interstellar medium.
From the interstellar medium, new stars and planets are formed. When the new stars die then again the interstellar medium gets enriched.
Now, researchers are planning to study other types of stars. They will also try to know if fluorine could have been formed in the early universe.
via Science - Google News http://ift.tt/XHyc7b
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