What are the products of helium burning in a star?
Helium accumulates in the cores of stars as a result of the proton–proton chain reaction and the carbon–nitrogen–oxygen cycle. Further nuclear fusion reactions of helium with hydrogen or another alpha particle produce lithium-5 and beryllium-8 respectively. Both products are highly unstable and decay almost instantly back into smaller nuclei, unless a third alpha particle fuses with a beryllium-8 nucleus before that time to produce a stable carbon-12 nucleus. The half-life of Li is and that of Be is .
What is the unstable product of helium burning in a star?
beryllium-8
Triple-alpha process
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What are the stable products of helium burning in a star?
carbon-12 and Oxygen
Triple-alpha process
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple-alpha%20process
Nuclear fusion reaction of two helium-4 nuclei produces beryllium-8, which is highly unstable, and decays back into smaller nuclei with a half-life of 8.19×10−17 s, unless within that time a third alpha particle fuses with the beryllium-8 nucleus to produce an excited resonance state of carbon-12,[3] called the Hoyle state, which nearly always decays back into three alpha particles, but once in about 2421.3 times releases energy and changes into the stable base form of carbon-12.
Triple-alpha process
Helium burning in a star produces both stable and unstable products. Nuclear fusion reaction of two helium-4 nuclei produces beryllium-8, which is highly unstable. The stable products are carbon-12 and Oxygen.