The ancient pursuit of changing ordinary metals into gold once the realm of alchemists is no longer pure fantasy. Modern nuclear research has shown that, under the right conditions, it can be done. By using particle accelerators to fire high-energy particles at certain metals, scientists can alter the number of protons in an atom’s nucleus, effectively transforming it into gold. Early breakthroughs came in the 1940s with mercury, followed by experiments in the 1980s that converted bismuth atoms. More recently, the Large Hadron Collider has detected minuscule traces of gold created during near-miss collisions of lead ions. Despite the scientific achievement, the process is astronomically expensive. The gold produced amounts to mere fractions of a gram, costing far more to create than it’s worth. While the age-old dream is now technically possible, it remains a triumph of physics rather than a path to fortune.
