For centuries, alchemists dreamed of finding a way to transform base metals like lead into gold. Known as chrysopoeia, this goal was central to the mystical and experimental practice of alchemy in the Middle Ages. While their efforts never produced the riches they imagined, modern science has now shown they were onto something—just a few centuries too early.
Researchers at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Switzerland have successfully observed the transformation of lead into gold—not through chemistry, but by harnessing the immense forces of particle physics. In a recent study by the ALICE collaboration, scientists recorded fleeting moments in which gold nuclei were created from lead during high-energy collisions.
“It is impressive to see that our detectors can handle head-on collisions producing thousands of particles, while also being sensitive to collisions where only a few particles are produced at a time, enabling the study of electromagnetic ‘nuclear transmutation’ processes,” says Marco Van Leeuwen, ALICE spokesperson.
When lead nuclei zip past each other at nearly the speed of light inside the LHC, they create powerful electromagnetic fields. These fields can cause particles of light (photons) to strike the nuclei, knocking out protons and changing the identity of the atom. Since gold has 79 protons and lead has 82, the loss of just three protons turns lead into gold.
Illustration of an ultra-peripheral collision where the two lead (208Pb) ion beams at the LHC pass by close to each other without colliding. In the electromagnetic dissociation process, a photon interacting with a nucleus can excite oscillations of its internal structure and result in the ejection of small numbers of neutrons (two) and protons (three), leaving the gold (203Au) nucleus behind (Image: CERN)
The process is rare and short-lived. During LHC’s Run 2 (between 2015 and 2018), about 86 billion gold nuclei were formed this way. That sounds impressive—until you realize it amounts to just 29 picograms, or less than one trillionth of a gram. And while Run 3 has already doubled that amount, it’s still far short of enough to mint a single gold coin.
Still, the achievement is more than symbolic. It confirms that the core dream of medieval alchemy of changing one element into another is scientifically possible. The findings also help physicists refine their understanding of how particles behave in high-energy fields, with practical applications for managing beam losses in future experiments.
So while no one is getting rich off particle-accelerated gold anytime soon, alchemists of the Middle Ages can take a small victory: their wild idea wasn’t so impossible after all. It just needed the world’s most powerful machine and 21st-century physics to make it real.
A 16th century alchemist at work in the ante-room of his laboratory, fixing a portion of his apparatus. On the table is his luting box and knife. His laboratory is visible through the window with various-sized stills.
Top Image: Picture of the particle detector from the ALICE Experiment at the CERN LHC. Photo by Johannes Vogel / Wikimedia Commons
For centuries, alchemists dreamed of finding a way to transform base metals like lead into gold. Known as chrysopoeia, this goal was central to the mystical and experimental practice of alchemy in the Middle Ages. While their efforts never produced the riches they imagined, modern science has now shown they were onto something—just a few centuries too early.
Researchers at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Switzerland have successfully observed the transformation of lead into gold—not through chemistry, but by harnessing the immense forces of particle physics. In a recent study by the ALICE collaboration, scientists recorded fleeting moments in which gold nuclei were created from lead during high-energy collisions.
“It is impressive to see that our detectors can handle head-on collisions producing thousands of particles, while also being sensitive to collisions where only a few particles are produced at a time, enabling the study of electromagnetic ‘nuclear transmutation’ processes,” says Marco Van Leeuwen, ALICE spokesperson.
When lead nuclei zip past each other at nearly the speed of light inside the LHC, they create powerful electromagnetic fields. These fields can cause particles of light (photons) to strike the nuclei, knocking out protons and changing the identity of the atom. Since gold has 79 protons and lead has 82, the loss of just three protons turns lead into gold.
The process is rare and short-lived. During LHC’s Run 2 (between 2015 and 2018), about 86 billion gold nuclei were formed this way. That sounds impressive—until you realize it amounts to just 29 picograms, or less than one trillionth of a gram. And while Run 3 has already doubled that amount, it’s still far short of enough to mint a single gold coin.
Still, the achievement is more than symbolic. It confirms that the core dream of medieval alchemy of changing one element into another is scientifically possible. The findings also help physicists refine their understanding of how particles behave in high-energy fields, with practical applications for managing beam losses in future experiments.
So while no one is getting rich off particle-accelerated gold anytime soon, alchemists of the Middle Ages can take a small victory: their wild idea wasn’t so impossible after all. It just needed the world’s most powerful machine and 21st-century physics to make it real.
Top Image: Picture of the particle detector from the ALICE Experiment at the CERN LHC. Photo by Johannes Vogel / Wikimedia Commons
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