Will Alchemy eventually be a real science?

Question

WE all know ancient forms of Alchemy are fake and futile pursuits, but as science increases, will it be possible to engineer elements by taking protons and electrons from one and fusing them onto another thus to turn lead into gold or any element into any other element, eventually as the technology increases (few hundred to thousand years ) have solid matter printers? (hawking i'm looking to you on this)

Answer 1

we have done it. It's not complex, alchemy is a real science. We have the abilty to add photons to elements and thus change them to other elements, which we have done. Now, we have succeded at making gold from another element, but the cost of the operation negated the increased value of the element by a factor of a couple thousands.

I should really not know this, so peace out.

Answer 2

I really do not think so. Alchemy does not seem to be a true "form" of science in any way. It is more associated with magic and witchcraft. In the early middle ages, St. Albertus Magnus, a Catholic saint, was actually known to be very interested in alchemy and was said to have turned lead into gold, but as with most pseudo-religious, unfounded claims, I discard that until there is evidence provided for it.

There has never been recorded alchemy though there are websites, organizations and entire groups of people that swear by it. I think that it's nearly impossible to molecularily restructure something so that it becomes another compound - like lead into gold. Chemical reactions and the charging and manipulating of ions, electrons, protons and whatnot seem to be the main causes of current structural changes.

There is a claim of something called a "philosopher's stone" that only a small fraction of would cause a huge mass of lead to turn into gold (and this famed Philosopher's Stone lead to the inspiration of the British version of the first Harry Potter novel - here it was Sorcerer's Stone - which further illustrates how deeply based alchemy is in fantasy and magic).

I feel that alchemy was a part of the history of the formation of modern chemistry, because it was the earliest way for people to experiment and become interested in the very things that make up substances they saw daily - vapor, stone, metals, and precious gems. It was mostly a historical growth of information and I don't think it will be of any practical use, EVER.

If alchemy ever comes to fruition, so would time machines, "teleportation devices" and everything else that's wonderfully Sci-Fi.

Answer 3

Alchemy has always been science just in the middle ages science was concidered magic. The persuit to turn lead to gold acually started when Nicolas Flimel (yes he was not just a Harry Potter Character) discovered that coal could turn to gold. He didn't try to do magic he just studied geology. NF basically wrote the laws of metamorphisum. Alchemy is also much more than lead to gold. Pennisillin was acually descuverd befor world war 1. Alchemist acually found that some of there magic potions involving yeast and blood made a potion (leaky mold) that would help with bacterial infections. they just didn't fully understand there science and they asumed it was mistical in nature. Unfortunatly becuse lead and gold contain none of the same elements or characteristics. Scientist have tried all types of test, testing all the possibal modes of the transformation but they are too different. Becuse lead is made of compond elements and gold is of a pure element nature it would never be possible to make this transformation becuse in order to achive this we would have to be able to seperate pure elements and we have not (and are not currently looking for) found a way to do such.

Answer 4

Certainly the answer is "NO", alchemy will never be a real science. Alchemy sought to conver lead to gold by chemical means, which we now know is impossible.

That said, real scientific physics has already converted lead to gold by tranmutation in a linear accelerator. But the cost is so great that it would never be economic to do that. That little showcase experiment was done back in the 1960s, I think at UC Berkeley.

Along the same line, also in the 1960s a chemist at duPont converted sow's ears into silk purses. Very expensive purses.

The point is that the challenges of the past are not the challenges of the present nor the future.

Answer 5

Sorry, you are asking a flawed question. By definition, alchemy is a historical event that has passed. Human inquiry has progressed beyond alchemy into other endeavors and sciences. Sciences in the future will not be concerned with changing base metals into precious metals.

The next advancements that will be the world changing developments in understanding DNA. The engineering of life forms which began with the improvement of food crops will continue and accelerate. Turning lead into gold will seem trivial in comparison.

;-D I want a tiny horse with the white wings of a dove! And, yes, I know it won't be able to fly.

Answer 6

Is Alchemy Real

Answer 7

My answer is no! According to sources, such as the Columbia Viking Desk Encyclopedia, if I remember correctly, science is the outgrowth of alchemy. The reverse situation of what you are proposing seems therefore to be the case. I think that alchemy is really a means of wasting, or putting a lot of time into finding out how to get something for nothing. All the individual might end up with is the realisation that he or she has wasted his or her time. I think people tend to be naïve about science.

Science is a partial deception. It is obvious by looking at two official experts with the same credentials who argue two opposite points of view. Obviously they both cannot be right. Because it is a partial deception, it makes sense that alchemy might be associated with it.

Modern scientists are still thought of as wizards. What is wizardry? Wizards have been known to make mistakes. How many people have actually tried to follow their calculations through? People tend to follow thir opinions automatically because they think their own are inferior.

What is the source of wizardry? As far as Dr. Einstein's drawn out and complicated calculations are concerned, I think the following: To say they are humbling would be an understatement. I find them stupefying. I thought geniuses were supposed to simplify complex matters, rather than make them more complicated. Is it possible that geniuses will soon destroy the world?

Feel free to click onto my name and my question about a possible roster of geniuses.

Answer 8

Alchemy is defined as turning substances into Gold. Alchemy as it was known failed primarily because those who engaged in it lacked the chemistry understanding of how elements are created.

As others have stated before, modern alchemy is possible through the use of prohibitively expensive particle accelerators.

A particle accelerator is usually a massive metal tube in either a line or a circle. Particles are accelerated using magnets and eletricity to the speed of light. Particles such as neutrons and protons are litterally smashed into elements to create new manmade elements. The bottom two rows of the periodic table of elements are almost all man made through use of particle accelerators.

Gold can be made most easily through smashing another proton into Platinum. That's quite stupid as Platinum is more expensive then Gold. Lead isn't currently possible as you can't remove protons in particle accelerators.

Also the cost of running a single accelerator is massively expensive as the energy costs. Alchemy won't be viable until a way to remove protons from cheaper materials is found and energy costs drop to tiny fractions of what they are now. Even still, particle accelerators are prohibatively expensive to produce. The Large Hadron Collider accelerator cost $6 billion to build.

Solid Matter Printers are entirely different subject. It sounds essentially like a replicator from Star Trek. While that isn't theoritically impossible, it would require a huge amount of energy to pull avaliable atoms into a coded form.

Answer 9

Alchemy was real science in the old days, untill science divorced from religeon.
If we as humans want to time travel, travel space, evolve and defy death then we need to reconize alchemy as a true living art. Science can only take us so far, then alchemy will open up so many posibilities. Alchemy is what is behind the science. Thats why they say; Don't cast your pearls among swine. The mundane don't believe, so why tell them.

Answer 10

It'll be a recognized religion, that I know.
Then neo-alchemists are going to start claiming that it's not about making new things like everyone thinks, but about loving and understanding nature.
Then they're going rip the mystery cloak off of alchemy and cover it with the apron of boredom instead.
They're going to say "See? There ain't nuthin wrong with alchemy, nuthin I tell ya!"
And then when their religion is dying because no one wants to practice it, they're going to blame TV shows for "protraying alchemy the wrong way".

Hint hint: .I'm trying to make a point about Witchcraft.

Witchcraft was fun and they made it boring to appeal to majorities, but now it doesn't appeal to anyone, and it's going to die. The same is going to happen to alchemy, you'll see. Just wait and see.

Answer 11

Alchemy was a real science in the middle ages. It has since been discredited. Yes science will eventually be able to engineer elements but I doubt the people that do it will want to be called alcehemists.