Alchemy
Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2012 8:54 pm
There was a thread a few weeks ago, can't remeber which and it was pointed out that you could turn lead into gold through transmutation. Has anyone ever heard of anyone turning gold into mercury?
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Re: Alchemy
Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2012 8:59 pm
Melted gold looks like more-curry.
Re: Alchemy
Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2012 9:23 pm
I wonder how long it will be until we have the ability to add and remove single protons and neutrons from atoms and thus make all precious metals worthless.
Re: Alchemy
Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2012 9:46 pm
We've been able to do that for a while now, depending on which elements you're talking about. It's just that no one would be mad enough to do it on a large scale, since it's so damn expensive and complicated. 
Re: Alchemy
Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2012 11:16 pm
I'm talking more like Star Trek replicator technology.
Re: Alchemy
Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2012 3:39 am
I can't find anywhere we have been able to add a proton to anything, or if turning gold into mercury has even been attempted, but it's interesting if we can knock the numbers down, but cannot make them add up.
Re: Alchemy
Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2012 11:49 am
Didn't Da Vinci develop a machine for this? I guess it was later destroyed in an explosion... 
Re: Alchemy
Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2012 12:42 pm
Maybe according to Dan Brown...Sergeant Thorne wrote:Didn't Da Vinci develop a machine for this? I guess it was later destroyed in an explosion...
Re: Alchemy
Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2012 6:42 pm
I know what transmutation is , that doesn't answer the question.
, that doesn't answer the question. I guess I'll take some time to figure this out. I understand the process of how uranium captures a neutron then beta decay's into neptunium. I guess what I'm unclear about is atomic number and mass number. Does causing the atom to capture a neutron also cause the number of proton's to change?In chemistry and physics, the atomic number (also known as the proton number) is the number of protons found in the nucleus of an atom and therefore identical to the charge number of the nucleus. It is conventionally represented by the symbol Z. The atomic number uniquely identifies a chemical element. In an atom of neutral charge, the atomic number is also equal to the number of electrons.
The atomic number, Z, should not be confused with the mass number, A, which is the number of nucleons, the total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom. The number of neutrons, N, is known as the neutron number of the atom; thus, A = Z + N. Since protons and neutrons have approximately the same mass (and the mass of the electrons is negligible for many purposes), and the mass defect is usually very small compared to the mass, the atomic mass of an atom is roughly equal to A.
Atoms having the same atomic number Z but different neutron number N, and hence different atomic mass, are known as isotopes. Most naturally occurring elements exist as a mixture of isotopes, and the average atomic mass of this mixture determines the element's atomic weight.
Re: Alchemy
Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2012 8:44 pm
Not directly, but through the the process of beta decay, a neutron is converted into a proton and an electron, which adds one to the atomic number and basically "bumps up" the atom to the next element on the periodic table. If you have a nucleus that's unstable enough to undergo beta decay, it'll wind up moving up, at least temporarily; the new nucleus may also be unstable and undergo decay into another product. I don't really know enough about nuclear physics off the top of my head to know if there is some specific isotope of gold that undergoes beta decay, though.
Re: Alchemy
Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2012 1:53 am
I think making all precious metals 'worthless' would be good for humanity.
I'm assuming you impudent humans know what the general idea behind 'alchemy' truly is until you insist otherwise. =P
This is the answer right here. =PIsaac wrote:Melted gold looks like more-curry.
I'm assuming you impudent humans know what the general idea behind 'alchemy' truly is until you insist otherwise. =P
Re: Alchemy
Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2012 9:09 am
Likely. But I think people are the true magpies -- it wouldn't stop them from wanting the metalz of shininess.Burlyman wrote:I think making all precious metals 'worthless' would be good for humanity.
Re: Alchemy
Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2012 9:33 am
Who doesn't?Burlyman wrote:I'm assuming you impudent humans know what the general idea behind 'alchemy' truly is until you insist otherwise. =P
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Re: Alchemy
Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2012 5:43 pm
Gold has technological value, it's in most electronics afaik.
It's also biologically compatible, thus gold teeth. An old neighbour once gave a story of his friend who made aluminium teeth for himself (more like a denture) and inevitably died of poisoning.
Gold's quite a useful metal.
gold jewellery is gauche, showy, bleh.
also scarcity based economies are annoying. etcetcrantrant.
how about this eh? eh? eh?
http://io9.com/5907849/this-guy-hand+fo ... -meteorite
It's also biologically compatible, thus gold teeth. An old neighbour once gave a story of his friend who made aluminium teeth for himself (more like a denture) and inevitably died of poisoning.
Gold's quite a useful metal.
gold jewellery is gauche, showy, bleh.
also scarcity based economies are annoying. etcetcrantrant.
how about this eh? eh? eh?
http://io9.com/5907849/this-guy-hand+fo ... -meteorite
Re: Alchemy
Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2012 5:50 pm
That is so cool.
Re: Alchemy
Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2012 9:48 pm
Went to the original thread:roid wrote: how about this eh? eh? eh?
http://io9.com/5907849/this-guy-hand+fo ... -meteorite
Found this comment:
