Can we turn lead into gold?

Alchemy is an ancient practice that sought to transform base metals into gold. Although modern chemistry has shown that it is impossible to turn lead or any other element into gold, this quest led to important discoveries in chemistry and physics.

Chemically, lead and gold are both elements, meaning that they are made up of atoms with the same number of protons. However, the atomic structure of the two elements is different, and gold is much heavier than lead. Scientists have found that it is possible to create gold artificially by bombarding mercury with neutrons in a nuclear reactor, but this process is very expensive and not economically viable.

Alchemy was a precursor to modern chemistry and contributed to the development of the scientific method. It led to the discovery of many important chemical substances and processes, such as acids, alkalis, and distillation. The alchemists' search for the philosopher's stone, a mythical substance that could transform lead into gold, was an early example of the scientific method, which involves developing hypotheses and testing them through experimentation.