MadSci Network: Science History
Query:

Re: can we manufacture gold or convert other element to gold?

Date: Fri Apr 13 01:36:00 2001
Posted By: Michael Kay, Staff, Chem, Haz. Mat Mgmt, Health Physics, Nuclear Science, AMBRY, Inc
Area of science: Science History
ID: 986388456.Sh
Message:

The answer to your question is yes! We can convert other materials to 
gold. If platinum, which contains 25.3% of the isotope platinum-196 is 
placed in a nuclear reactor with a high neutron field, some of the 
platinum-196 atoms will absorb a neutron forming platinum-197. Platinum-
197 is radioactive with a half life of about 18 hours. Platinum 197 decays 
by emitting a beta-minus particle from the nucleus. This beta particle has 
the charge -1, and once outside the nucleus is indistinguishable from an 
electron (also having charge -1). The remaining nucleus has gained a 
positive charge, which means the atomic number, Z, increases by one. 
Platinum is element 78, so increasing Z by one unit gives element 79 which 
is gold. The mass of the gold atom formed will be 197, so an atom of gold-
197 has been made. This is the one stable isotope of gold. Remember, it 
would take 2.3 E23 reactions on the same number of platinum-197 atoms to 
make one mole of gold atoms which would weigh 197 grams. Since the number 
of reactions per second is on the order of 1 E13 or so, it would take a 
year (~3E10 sec) to make the 197 grams.

The question of whether or not this is practical needs to be answered. 
Since the gold will be made one atom at a time from a target that is more 
expensive than the gold produced, using a very costly research nuclear 
reactor with a high neutron field, the process may be theoretically 
possible, and may actually have been done on a micro scale if platinum has 
ever been irradiated in a nuclear reactor, the cost of the gold produced 
would be much, much greater than the market price of gold.

If you are looking for a source of gold, I suggest you look at sea water 
which contains over 1 part per million by weight of gold. If you could 
remove the gold cheaply and efficiently (or even not so efficiently if the 
method were cheap and did not require outside power) you would obtain much 
more product than through nuclear transformation.


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