Removing a proton from mercury

In summary, the conversation discusses the possibility of producing gold by manipulating mercury through the removal of a proton. The process involves exposing mercury to neutrons and hoping for a specific reaction to occur, but it is considered impractical and uneconomical. It would require a significant budget and specialized facilities.
  • #1
bluecap
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Why are there no gold companies that produce gold by removing a proton from mercury? Is it because mercury is expensive or lack of facilities to remove the proton.

Given a lot of budget (like billions).. what would it take to remove a proton from mercury to produce gold?
 
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  • #2
bluecap said:
Given a lot of budget (like billions).. what would it take to remove a proton from mercury to produce gold?
Last estimate I heard about making gold my molecular manipulation was as I recall, that it would take about $1000 to make $1 worth of gold.
 
  • #3
Even if it's not practical.. please tell me the process how to remove a proton from a mercury to produce gold..
 
  • #4
bluecap said:
Even if it's not practical.. please tell me the process how to remove a proton from a mercury to produce gold..
I have no idea. I'm an engineer. Something this utterly impractical is of no interest to me. I'm sure one of our experts can help you though. I don't know that the process involves mercury but it might.
 
  • #5
bluecap said:
Even if it's not practical.. please tell me the process how to remove a proton from a mercury to produce gold..
(n,p) reaction. However, Au has only one stable isotope, Au-197, and Hg-197 is unstable and decays by electron capture to Au-197. To produce Hg-197, one would have to take Hg-196 (isotopic abundance = 0.0015), expose it to neutrons and hope for an (n,γ) reaction, and wait for the electron capture, so no need for the (n,p) reaction. Alternatively, one would take Hg-198 (isotopic abundance = 0.0997), expose it to neutrons for an (n, 2n) reaction to make Hg-197 in hopes it would decay to Au-197.

There is the energy in producing neutrons (e.g., at least 10 MeV/n for an n,2n reaction in Hg-198 vs isolation of Hg-196 from the natural distribution followed by exposure to a thermal neutron flux), then there is the matter of a fraction (often small) of the neutrons causing the desired reaction. Transmutation of Hg to Au is generally very uneconomical via so-called artificial or unnatural processes.
 
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FAQ: Removing a proton from mercury

What is a proton?

A proton is a subatomic particle that has a positive charge. It is found in the nucleus of an atom along with neutrons and is essential for the stability of an atom.

How is a proton removed from mercury?

A proton can be removed from mercury by using a particle accelerator or through radioactive decay. In a particle accelerator, high-energy particles are used to bombard the mercury atoms, causing a proton to be removed. In radioactive decay, the unstable mercury atom naturally emits a proton to become more stable.

What happens when a proton is removed from mercury?

When a proton is removed from mercury, the resulting atom becomes a different element. In the case of mercury, it becomes a different element in the same group, such as gold or thallium. The number of protons determines the identity of an element, so removing a proton changes the atomic number and therefore, the element.

Why would scientists want to remove a proton from mercury?

Scientists may want to remove a proton from mercury to study the properties and behavior of different elements. It can also be used to create new elements that have not been observed in nature.

What are the potential implications of removing a proton from mercury?

Removing a proton from mercury can have various implications, including creating new elements with unique properties, further understanding the behavior of subatomic particles, and potential applications in industries such as nuclear energy and medicine.

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