Flo in toothpaste derived from stars

Fluorine in toothpaste products can be formed billions of years ago from dead stars.

Fluorine can be found in human products used daily such as toothpaste and chewing gum. Previously the origin of this chemical element is still a mystery. Based on the new study, scientists hypothesize that fluorine is formed in the late stages of stars similar to the sun but is much heavier , Science Daily said.

'The sun and planets in the solar system are then formed from the materials of these dead stars. So, fluorine in our toothpaste originates from the dead ancestors of the sun , 'said Nils Ryde of Lund University, Sweden.

Stars in our galaxy, the Milky Way.(Photo: EpicStockMedia / Fotolia)

Researcher Henrik Jönsson from Lund University in Sweden and colleagues in Ireland and the US have studied stars that form at different times in the universe, if they contain a quantity of fluorine, predict The above theory is reasonable.

By analyzing the light emitted from a star, the team was able to analyze various chemical elements in it. The telescope in Hawaii is used along with a new device that is sensitive to light with a wavelength in the middle of the infrared spectrum.

'Building a complex high-resolution infrared light meter , people have recently made it,' says Nils Ryde.

Many different chemical elements form at high temperatures and pressures inside a star.Flo was formed at the end of the star's life , when it expanded and became a giant red star. Fluorine moves to the outer parts of the star, eventually being released by the star's end to form a planetary nebula. Fluorine released in this process blends with other gases surrounding the star to form an interstellar medium. New stars and new planets are formed from this interstellar environment, when new stars die, the interstellar environment continues to be enriched again.

Researchers also tried to find out whether Flo could be created in the early universe, before the first red star formed. They also use the same method to study the cosmic environment that is different from the environment around the sun, such as the stars close to the supermassive black hole in the center of the galaxy we live in. Milky Way.

"By looking at the level of fluorine in those stars, we can find out if these processes are different," said Nils Ryde.