Can you turn other metals to gold..Alchemy?

Question

If you do the right reaction can you turn other metals into gold? Can you do this to other metals?

EX. We did a lab with hydrochloric acid and turned a penny gold. You heat up the acid and drop in the penny and let it turn silver then pull it out cool it and put it in heat it will turn to gold.

Why would you be able to do this?

Answer 1

Any element can theoretically change to any other. It is just a matter of gaining or losing protons. Platinum to gold for instance only requires moving one proton, if my recollection of the periodic table is correct.

Answer 2

Yes this is an old lab trick, that needs the presence of copper and zinc.

Historically, Alchemy, was an attempt by alchemists to turn base metals into gold.
With the modern understanding of nuclear chemistry, and radioactive decay, the trans-uranic elements (Actinides) can transmutate into other elements, for example Uranium spontaneously changes to Thorium and this in turn changes to Protoactinium and so on until Lead is reached. At this point spontaneous transmutation ceases. This route involves heavy metals becoming lighter metals.
This transmutation involves the change in the number of protons and neutrons in a nucleus.
Theoretically, any element can be taken and add or subtract protons and neutrons to reach gold.
To change lighter elements to heavier elements requires large amounts of energy. The Sun is changing hydrogen into helium, and look a the size of the Sun and the radiation it releases in doing so.
So transmutation of the elements is theoretically possible but the energy required is so large as to be impractical.
The mediaeval alchemists did not know nor understand nuclear chemistry and so were on a 'hiding to nothing'.

Answer 3

Yes, you can turn any element into gold either by adding protons or taking away protons (much harder than adding protons) from the nucleus of the atom. However, it would be VERY EXPENSIVE. The cheapest metal to convert to gold is platinum, which is even more expensive than gold!

Why not pop by to your local jewellery shop and buy some instead?

As for your lab experiment, all that glitters is NOT gold! Many chemicals, like lead iodide (PbI2)and iron persulfide FeS2 (fool's gold) look like gold as they are bright yellow in colour.

I don't know what the chemical composition of your coin is so I cannot tell you what the yellow compound was. It may be copper (ll) chloride?

Answer 4

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RE:
Can you turn other metals to gold..Alchemy?
If you do the right reaction can you turn other metals into gold? Can you do this to other metals?

EX. We did a lab with hydrochloric acid and turned a penny gold. You heat up the acid and drop in the penny and let it turn silver then pull it out cool it and put it in heat it will turn to gold.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

I did the same exact experiment in 8th grade, and it was really cool. I still have my pennies, but the pennies dont actually turn to gold or silver. It just makes it look like it. You actually don't change it, or people would be doing that for a living. =). I really doubt we have enough technology to actually change metals, maybe in a very far future when we can re-adjust atomic elements and other stuff, but I highly doubt it.

Answer 7

It will have to be an atomic reaction, not a chemical reaction. Yes it is possible, but it is very very expensive.

Answer 8

Pretty good arguments here.

Answer 9

you need Rumpelstiltskin

Answer 10

no i cant