[TheForge] Alchemy Question

[Phlip]

Ene bichizh ogsen baina shuu...

> Can't find the magic incantation that gives me the answer in Google, so
> I thought I would ask here.  It is at least metal related.  Someone told
> me years ago, or I read,  that scientists had successfully achieved the
> goal of alchemists by transmuting lead into gold.   As I recall, they
> were using a linear accelerator or something along those lines,
> bombarding lead with electrons.  Not a finacially viable process, but
> interesting none the less.  Does anyone here know anything about this or
> was I just being gullible years ago ( probably read it in Omni).
>
>
> Charles

Yes, it's quite possible, but as mentioned, it's not very cost effective, by
the time you build the equipment and generate the power to do it.

An atomic nucleus has two things in there- one called protons, and one
called neutrons. The type of element it is, is determined by the number of
protons- thus, lead always has 82 protons, and gold always has 79.

The number of neutrons determines which isotope of the element it is, and
the combined weight of the protons and neutrons determines the weight, or
mass of the element- electrons having so little mass that their weight is
negligeable. Thus, when you hear of someone referring to Carbon 12 or carbon
14, the C12 has 6 protons and 6 neutrons, the C14 has 6 protons and 8
neutrons.

Most elements have a most stable isotope- that's what you find in nature,
but all of them will have naturally occuring unstable isotopes- most of
these are radioactive.

Getting back to your question, if you only have a certain number of protons
in an element, that defines the element. If you knock away some of those
protons, that makes it a different element. In the case of lead and gold,
since lead has three more protons than gold does, if you can knock away the
extra protons, you then change the element to gold. It's actually easier to
change lead to gold than gold to lead, given current technology, because
it's easier to break something down than build something up.

I might point out, too, that the knocked away protons then form their own
atoms, either Hydrogen (one proton) Helium (two protons) or Lithium (three
protons) so when you do this, you get 1-3 new atoms.

Hope this is simple enough- chemistry and nuclear physics require years of
study to understand ;-)

Phlip

 If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it is probably not a
cat.

Never a horse that cain't be rode,
And never a rider who cain't be throwed....