MCQ Detailed View

The idea of converting ordinary metals into gold has fascinated humans for centuries. Alchemists once believed that simple processes like heating or mixing chemicals could turn metals such as lead or copper into gold. However, scientific research has shown that only nuclear processes can achieve this transformation, not ordinary chemical reactions.

Gold is an element with atomic number 79, meaning its nucleus contains 79 protons. To change a basic metal into gold, the number of protons in its atomic nucleus must be altered. This process is called nuclear transmutation. It can only occur under special conditions involving artificial nuclear radioactivity, typically in particle accelerators or nuclear reactors.

For example, certain isotopes of elements like mercury or bismuth can be bombarded with high-energy neutrons or protons. This bombardment can change the composition of their nuclei, removing or adding protons and transforming the atom into a new element—sometimes gold. This is a nuclear reaction, not a chemical one, because it alters the very identity of the atom.

Heating or beating metals changes only their physical state or shape and does not affect their atomic structure. Chemical reactions can only rearrange electrons around atoms or combine them with other elements; they cannot change one element into another because the nucleus remains unchanged.

Although it is scientifically possible to produce gold from other metals, the process is extremely costly and inefficient. The energy required and the small amount of gold produced make it impractical for commercial use. This concept is mainly of scientific interest in nuclear chemistry and physics, showing how atomic nuclei can be transformed under artificial conditions.

Thus, the correct answer is artificial nuclear radioactivity, as it is the only proven method to change basic metals into gold by altering their atomic nuclei.