Did the Elements Come About by Chance?
“EVERY object in the Universe, even the most distant star, is made of atoms,” explains The Encyclopedia of Stars & Atoms. Individual atoms are too small to see, but packed together they make up familiar chemical elements. Some of these elements are solids that we can see; others are invisible gases. Can the existence of all such chemical elements be explained by chance?
Elements 1 to 92
Though hydrogen is the simplest of all atoms, it fuels stars like our sun and is vital for life. An atom of hydrogen has one proton in its nucleus and one electron moving around that nucleus. Other chemical elements, such as carbon, oxygen, gold, and mercury, are made of atoms with many electrons moving around a nucleus of many protons and neutrons.
Some 450 years ago, only 12 chemical elements were known. As more were discovered, scientists noticed a natural order to them. And when the elements were placed on a chart in rows and columns, scientists discovered that elements sharing a column had similar characteristics. But there were also gaps in the chart, representing unknown elements. This led Russian scientist Dmitry Mendeleyev to predict the existence of the element with the atomic number 32, germanium, as well as its color, weight, density, and melting point. Mendeleyev’s “prediction about other missing elements—gallium and scandium—also turned out to be very accurate,” notes the 1995 science textbook Chemistry.
In time, scientists predicted the existence of other unknown elements and some of their characteristics. Eventually all the missing elements were discovered. There are no longer any gaps on the chart. The natural order of elements is based on the number of protons in the nucleus of their atoms, starting with element number 1, hydrogen, and continuing to the last element that generally occurs naturally on earth, number 92, uranium. Is this just a coincidence?
Consider, too, the rich variety of chemical elements. Gold and mercury are elements with distinctive shining colors. One is a solid, and the other a liquid. Yet, they follow each other as elements 79 and 80. An atom of gold has 79 electrons, 79 protons, and 118 neutrons. An atom of mercury has just one more electron, one more proton, and more or less the same number of neutrons.
Is it just chance that a slight change in the arrangement of atomic particles yields such a rich variety of elements? And what about the forces that hold the atomic particles together? “From its smallest particle to its largest galaxy, everything in the Universe follows rules that are described by the laws of physics,” explains The Encyclopedia of Stars & Atoms. Imagine what would happen if one of those rules were to change. For instance, what if an adjustment were made to the force that keeps electrons moving around the nucleus of an atom?
Finely Tuned Physical Forces
Consider the consequences if the electromagnetic force were weakened. “Electrons would no longer be bound to atoms,” observes Dr. David Block in his book Star Watch. Just what would that mean? “We would have a universe where no chemical reactions were possible!” he adds. How thankful we can be for the fixed laws that make chemical reactions possible! For example, two atoms of hydrogen combine with one atom of oxygen to form a molecule of precious water.
The electromagnetic force is about 100 times weaker than the strong nuclear force that holds together the nucleus of atoms. What would happen if this ratio were changed? “If the relative strengths of the nuclear and electromagnetic forces were to be slightly different then carbon atoms could not exist,” explain scientists John Barrow and Frank Tipler. Without carbon, there would be no life. Carbon atoms represent 20 percent of the weight of all living organisms.
Also crucial is the strength of the electromagnetic force compared with the force of gravity. “The most minute change in the relative strengths of gravitational and electromagnetic forces,” explains New Scientist magazine, “would turn stars like the Sun into blue giants [far too hot for life] or red dwarfs [not hot enough to sustain life].”
Another force, the weak nuclear force, controls the speed of nuclear reactions in the sun. “It is just weak enough so that the hydrogen in the sun burns at a slow and steady rate,” explains physicist Freeman Dyson. Many other examples could be given to show how our life depends on the delicately balanced laws and conditions found in the universe. Science writer Professor Paul Davies compared these universal laws and conditions to a set of knobs and stated: “It seems as if the different knobs have to be fine-tuned to enormous precision if the universe is to be such that life will flourish.”
Long before Sir Isaac Newton discovered the law of gravity, the Bible referred to such fixed rules or laws. The man Job was asked: “Did you proclaim the rules that govern the heavens, or determine the laws of nature on earth?” (Job 38:33, The New English Bible) Other humbling questions were, “Where did you happen to be when I founded the earth?” and, “Who set its measurements, in case you know?”—Job 38:4, 5.
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VITAL ELEMENTS
The chemical elements hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon make up about 98 percent of the atoms in your body. Then comes nitrogen, which makes up a further 1.4 percent. Other elements occur in very small amounts but are nonetheless vital for life.
[Chart/Diagram on page 6, 7]
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As of the time of publication, scientists have produced elements 93 and larger, up to and including element 118. Predictably, these elements still fit the pattern of the periodic table.
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Source: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Name of element Symbol Atomic number (number of protons)
hydrogen H 1
helium He 2
lithium Li 3
beryllium Be 4
boron B 5
carbon C 6
nitrogen N 7
oxygen O 8
fluorine F 9
neon Ne 10
sodium Na 11
magnesium Mg 12
aluminum Al 13
silicon Si 14
phosphorus P 15
sulfur S 16
chlorine Cl 17
argon Ar 18
potassium K 19
calcium Ca 20
scandium Sc 21
titanium Ti 22
vanadium V 23
chromium Cr 24
manganese Mn 25
iron Fe 26
cobalt Co 27
nickel Ni 28
copper Cu 29
zinc Zn 30
gallium Ga 31
germanium Ge 32
arsenic As 33
selenium Se 34
bromine Br 35
krypton Kr 36
rubidium Rb 37
strontium Sr 38
yttrium Y 39
zirconium Zr 40
niobium Nb 41
molybdenum Mo 42
technetium Tc 43
ruthenium Ru 44
rhodium Rh 45
palladium Pd 46
silver Ag 47
cadmium Cd 48
indium In 49
tin Sn 50
antimony Sb 51
tellurium Te 52
iodine I 53
xenon Xe 54
cesium Cs 55
barium Ba 56
lanthanum La 57
cerium Ce 58
praseodymium Pr 59
neodymium Nd 60
promethium Pm 61
samarium Sm 62
europium Eu 63
gadolinium Gd 64
terbium Tb 65
dysprosium Dy 66
holmium Ho 67
erbium Er 68
thulium Tm 69
ytterbium Yb 70
lutetium Lu 71
hafnium Hf 72
tantalum Ta 73
tungsten W 74
rhenium Re 75
osmium Os 76
iridium Ir 77
platinum Pt 78
gold Au 79
mercury Hg 80
thallium Tl 81
lead Pb 82
bismuth Bi 83
polonium Po 84
astatine At 85
radon Rn 86
francium Fr 87
radium Ra 88
actinium Ac 89
thorium Th 90
protactinium Pa 91
uranium U 92
neptunium Np 93
plutonium Pu 94
americium Am 95
curium Cm 96
berkelium Bk 97
californium Cf 98
einsteinium Es 99
fermium Fm 100
mendelevium Md 101
nobelium No 102
lawrencium Lr 103
rutherfordium Rf 104
dubnium Db 105
seaborgium Sg 106
bohrium Bh 107
hassium Hs 108
meitnerium Mt 109
110
111
112
114
116
118
[Diagram]
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Do the order and harmony of elements in the periodic table reflect mere chance or intelligent design?
Helium atom
Electron
Proton
Neutron
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What accounts for the fine-tuning of the four physical forces?
ELECTROMAGNETISM
STRONG NUCLEAR FORCE
GRAVITY
WEAK NUCLEAR FORCE
Water molecule
Atom nucleus
Blue giant
Red dwarf
Sun