Scientists have succeeded in fulfilling the ancient dream of alchemists – turning lead into gold
In one of the laboratories of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), it was possible to fulfill the long-standing dream of alchemists – to turn lead into gold. However, only for a moment. This is reported by the specialized publication Engadget.
To transform lead into gold, scientists used the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world's most powerful particle accelerator.
This HAC experiment involved colliding subatomic particles at very high speeds to manipulate the physical properties of lead, turning it into gold.
HACs are often used to collide lead ions to create extremely hot and dense matter, similar to that observed in the universe after the Big Bang.
During one of the experiments, scientists noticed that in some collisions, a lead nucleus loses several protons or neutrons.
Since lead has only three more protons than gold, such losses can momentarily "transform" lead into gold – before the atom breaks into particles.
Similar experiments were conducted from 2015 to 2018. Then, about 29 picograms of gold (one trillionth of a gram) were obtained.
New experiments yielded almost twice as much, but it's still a very small amount – much less than is needed to make even a piece of jewelry.
"It is impressive that our detectors can handle head-on collisions, in which thousands of particles are produced, and at the same time are sensitive to collisions in which only a few particles are produced at a time, which allows us to study the electromagnetic processes of 'nuclear transformation,'" said Marco Van Leeuwen, a representative of the ALICE project.
- On April 22, 2025, the price of gold rose to a record $3,500 per ounce amid increasing economic uncertainty in the United States.