Does the fact that there is no primordial abundance of elements heavier than lithium support Big Bang theory?
Yes. As the figure above shows, the element abundances are controlled by the conditions that prevailed in the early history of the universe. The amount of Lithium today provides a very severe test of Big Bang cosmology, and is one of the reasons why no other competing cosmological theory works as well. Big Bang cosmology predicts that by the time the universe had synthesized elements such as helium, it was already growing too cold to form elements heavier than lithium or beryllium because of its rapid expansion, for the fusion of helium with hydrogen to produce any heavier elements after the first 3 – 5 minutes of the Big Bang. Copyright 1997 Dr. Sten Odenwald Return to Ask the Astronomer.
