Gold Alchemy in the Modern Age: Lead Transmutation at CERN
Alchemists Manage to Transform Lead into PRECIOUS METAL Gold
Dare the alchemists of antiquity rejoice? Physicists at CERN have made their century-old dream a reality - turning lead into gold. But brace yourself, it's a far cry from the mythical gold rush they envisioned.
For centuries, the hopes of alchemists clung to the fabled "Philosopher's Stone," a mythical substance said to transform base metals into gold and silver. Today, their beloved dream has been reborn, yet in a wholly unexpected guise. The modern-day Philosopher's Stone resides within the 27-kilometer long tunnel of the particle accelerator, LHC, at the European research center in Geneva.
The process unfolds in this manner: when lead nuclei are propelled into a head-on collision at near the speed of light within the LHC, they dance a delicate waltz, narrowly missing each other. The intense magnetic field surrounding these nuclei triggers a vibration deep within their structure, ejecting a handful of neutrons and protons in the process [1]. To create a gold nucleus, consisting of 79 protons, three protons must be removed from the lead nucleus traveling through the LHC beams, as reported by CERN [2].
However, do not get your hopes up alchemists, for no golden treasure is to be amassed from these experiments. CERN makes it abundantly clear that this discovery will not lead to a gold-rush of epic proportions [2]. Moreover, the generated gold lasts only for a fleeting instant.
"Though history may remember the medieval alchemists' pipe dream, their bank accounts remain untouched," CERN resolutely states [2]. The organization published their findings in the scientific journal "Physical Review Journals", a testament to their groundbreaking research [3].
Closer Look at the Process
- Transmutation Mechanism: This remarkable metamorphosis occurs through electromagnetic dissociation - a mechanism achieved through the collision of beams of lead atoms, triggering an intense burst of photons which, in turn, cause the lead nucleus to oscillate violently. This oscillation leads to the ejection of protons from the nucleus [1][4][5].
- The Flimsy Gold: The gold atoms born of this process are highly unstable and survive only for a fleeting moment before they break apart. They perish upon encounter with the LHC's beam pipe or other structural elements [1][5].
- Yield and Practicality: Experiments between 2015 and 2018 estimated the production of around 86 billion gold atoms, amounting to a measly 29 trillionths of a gram [1][4][5]. Such minute quantities offer little to no potential for commercial or industrial application.
- Energy Efficiency: This process demands gargantuan energy inputs to accelerate the heavy lead ions to near light speeds. As such, it stands in stark contrast to natural or conventional gold production methods, being highly inefficient in practical terms [2][3].
- Scientific IMPACT: Nonetheless, this transformation has captured the imagination of nuclear physicists across the globe, shedding light on the intricate nuclear reactions and particle physics which govern our universe.
In conclusion, CERN's particle accelerator can, for a brief instant, transform lead nuclei into gold by stripping protons through high-energy collisions. But the product is elusive and insignificant in terms of practical application, aside from expanding humanity's understanding of the microcosmic world.
Sources: [1] https://phys.org/news/2018-11-cern-physicists-turbocharge-process-lead.html [2] https://www.cern.ch/news/alchemy-and-art-beautiful-sculptures-made-gold-lead-cern [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead%E2%80%93gold_transmutation [4] https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21528472-900-cern-takes-a-step-closer-to-turning-lead-into-gold/ [5] https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170515111102.htm
- The Commission, in collaboration with the Council, has published research findings on lead transmutation into gold in the scientific journal "Physical Review Journals," offering a groundbreaking exploration into the realm of nuclear reactions and particle physics.
- Despite the historic significance of this discovery, the Commission emphasizes that the generated gold particles are unstable, lasting for only a fleeting moment, and are of no practical use for commercial or industrial applications.
