Is it possible to turn one element into another

For example, uranium transmutes spontaneously into lead through a series of steps. Nuclear transmutations can occur during the spontaneous radioactive decay of naturally occurring thorium and uranium.

Artificial or induced transmutation occurs when atoms of one element are struck with particles in a linear accelerator, cyclotron, or synchrotron. All of the elements with atomic numbers greater than 92 - such as plutonium - are man-made elements created through transmutation. Most nuclear reactions involve the artificial transmutation of elements, although they are generally referred to more specifically as " fission ", " fusion ", or "irradiation" instead of being referred to broadly as transmutation.

Artificial transmutation can be accomplished through the use of particle accelerators that strike elements with alpha particles , deuterons , or small nuclei. In a nuclear reactor, the target nucleus is struck with neutrons, resulting in fission of nuclei. Changing the number of electrons results in ions of the same element.

Are you asking whether nuclear transmutation is possible? Changing the proton count changes the element, and adding or subtracting neutrons determines the isotope. Thallium with atomic number 81 decays into Lead atomic number 82 , and nothing is ever added to the Thallium from the outside. Alchemists have often been dismissed as pseudoscientific charlatans but in many ways they paved the way for modern chemistry and medicine. The alchemists of the 16th and 17th centuries developed new experimental techniques, medicines and other chemical concoctions, such as pigments.

The problem, Principe says, is that the alchemists did not yet know that lead and gold were different atomic elements—the periodic table was still hundreds of years away. Believing them to be hybrid compounds, and therefore amenable to chemical change in laboratory reactions, the alchemists pursued the dream of chrysopoeia to no avail.

With the dawn of the atomic age in the 20th century, however, the transmutation of elements finally became possible. Nowadays nuclear physicists routinely transform one element to another.

In commercial nuclear reactors, uranium atoms break apart to yield smaller nuclei of elements such as xenon and strontium as well as heat that can be harnessed to generate electricity. In experimental fusion reactors heavy isotopes of hydrogen merge together to form helium. An element is defined by the number of protons in its nucleus whereas an isotope of a given element is determined by the quantity of neutrons.

But what of the fabled transmutation of lead to gold? Getting the elements. Let's say that we're talking about purifying water to remove toxic elements such as Hg or Cd. Extracting the elements out of the water is a feat by itself, for example using reverse osmosis methods. This is a method used for seawater desalination - to turn them from salt water filled with all kinds of elements into drinkable water.

This process is very expensive, and a very polluting one as well. Desalination just the amount of water you need for drinking water is complicated, so desalinating an entire reservoir is simply not going to happen.

Let's say you did somehow manage to extract the element in question. Now you need nuclear reactions to transmute one element to another. Not all are possible. For some elements, like Tc or Am this is the only way you can produce them. However, you are going to end up with radioactive nuclear waste. Gimelist Gimelist 4, 20 20 silver badges 53 53 bronze badges. Sign up or log in Sign up using Google.

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