Scientists Turn Lead Into Gold at the LHC
- Researchers at the Large Hadron Collider created 89,000 gold atoms per second.
- They achieved this by removing 3 protons from lead atoms, transforming them into gold.
- This marks the first successful detection and study of gold production at LHC, as of May 2025.
- Between 2015–2018, scientists generated 86 billion gold atoms—just 29 picograms in total weight.
- Each atom exists for only a split second before breaking apart.
Transforming Lead Into Gold: Science, Not Alchemy
In a development that echoes the ambitions of medieval alchemists, scientists working on the ALICE project at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) have successfully converted lead into gold. This was done by knocking three protons out of lead atoms, a process which effectively changes their elemental identity to gold. The discovery was made by studying near-miss collisions of atoms—where powerful electromagnetic fields trigger changes in atomic composition.
Billions of Atoms, Microscopic Mass
Despite the impressive rate of production—89,000 gold atoms per second—the actual amount of gold produced is negligible. Over the course of experiments conducted from 2015 to 2018, scientists created around 86 billion gold atoms, weighing only 29 picograms in total. That’s less than a trillionth of a gram—far from practical use, and certainly not enough to fashion even a speck of jewelry.
Scientific Breakthrough, Not Commercial Promise
Uliana Dmitrieva, a researcher in the ALICE collaboration, emphasized the importance of this milestone as the first time gold production was successfully detected and analyzed at the LHC. While the achievement remains purely theoretical in its application, it opens the door to deeper exploration of atomic transformation and the boundaries of modern physics.
Source: ABC News