A Modern-Day "Philosopher's Stone": Physicists Transform Lead into Gold
Transforming Lead into Gold: Scientific Breakthrough Reported
The legend of alchemists turning base metals into gold seemed like pure fantasy for centuries. But here we are in the 21st century, and guess what? Physicists at CERN, the European research center, have made it a reality - sort of. They've transformed lead into gold, but don't get your hopes up for gold-plated everything just yet!
Back in the Middle Ages until the early modern period, folks chased after the elusive "Philosopher's Stone" that was said to transform lead into gold. Well, it turns out that this coveted stone isn't a magical crystal; it's a colossal particle accelerator known as the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) situated in Geneva.
In the LHC, physicists have managed to transform lead into gold through an incredible process of nuclear transmutation, particularly during a type of collision called "ultraperipheral collisions."
Here's the lowdown on the process: When lead nuclei zoom through the 27-kilometer-long tunnel of the LHC and collide at near light speeds, they often miss each other at incredibly close range. The intense magnetic fields of these nuclei cause their internal structure to vibrate, ejecting a few neutrons and protons in the process. To produce gold (with 79 protons), three protons need to be removed from a lead nucleus in the LHC beams, according to CERN.
However, the quantity produced is minuscule - billions of times less than what you'd need to make a glitzy piece of jewelry or any practical use for that matter. And, to top it off, this gold only exists for an infinitesimal fraction of a second.
So, while the dreams of medieval alchemists have technically come true, their dreams of wealth have once again been crushed. CERN crystalizes this discovery in a scientific article published in the journal "Physical Review Journals." The experiment to make this magic happen has been underway since 2015, through the "Alice" experiment at CERN.
Sources:
- ntv.de
- kst/dpa
Associated Terms: - CERN - Particle Accelerator - Gold
Enrichment Data: - The transformation of lead into gold happens during ultraperipheral collisions, where lead nuclei pass extremely close to one another without directly colliding. - These near-misses generate intense electromagnetic fields that can knock out protons from the lead nuclei. - Removing exactly three protons from a lead nucleus turns it into gold (with 79 protons). - During CERN's Run 2, approximately 86 billion gold nuclei were created, amounting to only 29 picograms of gold.
- The legend of alchemists, who were believed to turn base metals into gold, might have seemed like a mere fantasy for centuries, but modern-day physicists have managing to achieve a similar result at CERN, transforming lead into gold.
- WhatsApp the news that physicists have created gold through nuclear transmutation at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a colossal particle accelerator, will send medieval alchemists spinning in their graves, as the sought-after "Philosopher's Stone" wasn't a magical crystal after all.
- The dreams of those chasing after the elusive "Philosopher's Stone" to accumulate wealth have been shattered once again, as the gold produced through this process at CERN is billions of times less than what's needed for practical use or glitzy jewelry.
- Despite the minuscule amount of gold produced, the science behind this transformation is now documented in a scientific article published in the journal "Physical Review Journals," resulting from the "Alice" experiment at CERN since 2015.
