Lead can still be turned into gold: scientists tell what is needed for this
12 May 16:49
Scientists from the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) were able to turn lead into gold. This was written by the publication Engadget, informs
Modern scientists managed to realize the dream of medieval alchemists with the help of the Large Hadron Collider, the world’s most powerful particle accelerator, and only for a moment.
How lead turned into gold
Experiments with the Large Hadron Collider involve the collision of subatomic particles together at incredibly high speeds, and this collider is often used to collide lead ions, resulting in the creation of extremely hot and dense matter similar to that observed in the universe after the Big Bang.
During this analysis, scientists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research noticed near collisions that caused the lead nucleus to shed its neutrons or protons. It is known that lead atoms have only three more protons than gold atoms, which means that in certain cases the Large Hadron Collider causes lead atoms to shed enough protons to turn into a gold atom for a split second before decaying into a cluster of particles.
How much gold did the scientists manage to get?
According to the European Organization for Nuclear Research, only about 29 picograms of gold were extracted during the experiments conducted from 2015 to 2018.
The latest tests added a bit of optimism, as thanks to regular modernizations of the collider, scientists were able to get almost twice as much gold.
However, the material obtained is still trillions of times less than what is needed to make a piece of jewelry. So, scientists are focusing more on studying the processes of electromagnetic “nuclear transmutation.”
Gold prices are rising – and not thanks to scientists
Last Tuesday, gold prices rose to a two-week high. The reason is the same concerns about US President Donald Trump’s tariff plans. Reuters wrote about this.
On the morning of May 6, the price of spot gold rose by 0.9% to $3,362.69 per ounce after reaching its highest level at the beginning of the session on April 22. Gold futures in the US rose 1.5% to $3,370.40.
This, of course, falls short of the record that gold set on April 22, when it briefly crossed the $3500 per ounce price mark, reaching a historic high. This happened after US President Donald Trump criticized Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.
As you know, gold prices, which are traditionally considered a safe-haven asset in times of economic and geopolitical uncertainty, have risen by almost a third since the beginning of this year.
