2. The first chemists, called alchemists, tried ways and means to create gold. in the process,they discovered many new substances and developed many new procedures used in laboratories today.however.they failed in their attempts to make gold.what was the reason for their failure?
Answers
Answer:
So nuclear trans mutation is very difficult
Explanation:
Nuclear transmutation is a very difficult process. You can't add and subtract protons and neutrons to a nucleus at will. Gold nucleus has 79 protons whereas Lead nucleus has 82. Given that the naturally occurring isotopes of lead are exceptionally stable (I mean, that is why they are naturally occurring), it is not easy to take those three protons away and turn lead into gold.
Well, it is theoretically possible. If you can somehow make Pb-205 go through beta decay followed by alpha decay twice, you will end up with Au-197, the most common and most stable isotope of gold. But Pb-205 is a trace isotope, and that is not the default decay pathway for it either - Pb-205 decays by electron capture rather than beta decay. So you are better off mining gold than trying to achieve nuclear transmutation to turn lead into gold.