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Digging up my 8 year old notes, I find this interesting summary of the CNO cycle.
For the CNO cycle to proceed, there must be 12C nucli present. While this is the most common isotope of carbon, it makes up only a tiny fraction of a star's composition. Not much is needed, however. Furthermore, the 12C nucleus is restored at the end of the cycle, so the process does not use up any carbon.
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