What element sits at the center of the massive star's internal, onion-like fusion structure just before the core loses its thermal pressure support?
Answer
Iron.
The process of nuclear fusion within a supermassive star creates a layered, or onion-like, internal structure. This reaction chain progresses sequentially, fusing lighter elements into heavier ones in successive shells: hydrogen fuels helium, helium fuses to carbon, and this continues up through elements like oxygen and silicon. The ultimate element created at the very center through this chain reaction is iron. Once the core is predominantly composed of iron, the star reaches its energetic limit because fusing iron consumes energy rather than releasing it, leading directly to the loss of outward thermal pressure and initiating the catastrophic collapse.
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