Awkshully, the most stable isotope in the periodic table is not one of iron’s major isotopes.
62Ni has the highest binding energy per nucleon of all isotopes, including iron, even though the average binding energy per nucleon for iron is slightly higher than nickel. Another reason that Focardi/Rossi’s claim of nickel going to copper is brain-dead. From: David Roberson I just reviewed the wikipedia article on stars. They support the idea that iron is the last element that can be fused before the process becomes endothermic. It is an interesting read and I should be kicked in the rear for not reading it before asking my question.
