Nuclear Systematics Part IV. Neutron-Capture Cross Sections and Solar Abundance

The abundance pattern of s-process nuclides confirms severe mass separation in the Sun and in the parent star that gave birth to the Solar System. The most abundant elements in the interior of the Sun are Fe, Ni, O, Si and S. These five, even-Z elements with high nuclear stability comprize the bulk material of ordinary meteorites and rocky planets close to the Sun. The Sun and other stars operate as giant, magnetic mass-separators that selectively move lightweight elements, and the lighter mass isotopes of each element, to the surface