First, let's put across that Alchemy was an ancient form of chemistry during mediaeval times.
Then ,of course, any alchemists weren't able to transmute any element into another one because the level of the process
is only molecular, that is the energy in account is far below the required level for transmutation. By making a
generalization, farther in tiny scale the process needed to be done, much energy it necessitates to proceed it; between
molecular and subatomic level, the scale of energy required consists of a drastic one. That's why it's so easy to create
a high destructive atomic bomb with so few Hydrogen.
Now, if one continues with a historical event as regards the first unexpected attempt of transmutation, it leads us to
the reknown Ernest Rutherford, an new zealander physicist who made an primordial experiment( indeed , he was more
experimenter than theoritician) with a gold sheet as broad as 2000 aligned gold atoms( very very thin). Using an
radioactive emitter protected inside a lead block whereon an orifice was bored , thanks to radioactive decay, the
radiations ( alpha ray= 2 protons, beta ray= electrons , gamma ray= electromagnatic radiations) collided ( chiefly alpha
rays) to the golden sheet. The other details are not needed. Even though it turned out that most of protons( alpha rays
) passed through without difficulty, the interesting fact remains he transmuted some gold atoms. Thus , He's the
precursor of subatomic studies along many others physicists like Thomson, Albert Einstein, Max Planck etc.
At last , a little more exhaustive presentation of what exactly is this transmutation: id est BETA DECAY.
Enrico Fermi , discoverer of beta decay and supposedly great vulgarizer according his students, explained that the
agitation is occuring at subatomic level . With precision , it's the transformation of a neutron into a proton.
( Why does this kind of decay happen? Knowing the famous Einsteinian relation between energy and mass of matter , E= mc2, more a particle has mass , more its energy is greater. In quantum physics , more a particle possesses energy , more its instability increases and tends to decay into a lighter particle. At this moment , notice that a neutron is heavier than a proton, therefore, its proclivity will be to decay into a proton, lightest particle of its kind( baryon). )
Ensuing the decay, there is emission of an electron and an antineutrino ( in particle physics , everything is energy
transformations).
Here is the equation:
neutron -----> proton + electron + antineutrino
( I omitted usual logograms in question of simplicity)
Though I didn't globalize the kickback it might be : by getting another proton along another electron, we transmute one
element to the next one, for instance, hydrogen to helium or Nitrogen to Oxygen etc.
Take for example the lead, which the fiend metal that alchemists wished so much to transform into Gold. Unfortunately,
gold is three elements before lead and we said that beta decay transforms an element into the next one, so lead to
Bismuth without attaining Gold.
Nevertheless , I didn't mention the second type of beta decay, wherewith one transform one proton into a neutron. In
consequence, we step back in the periodical table and reaches the Gold by repeating the decay. Alchemists' dream was
finally performed in the early 1900 and still in waiting position to be complete. I meant the production in 20th is
constantly pitiful and we're far away of the industrial production of Gold by transmutation.
If I made blunders , please aware me in consideration I still don't take courses about Quantum Physics ( I'm too young
for the moment being) and
Hope it's interesting and decipherable. ^_^
Tnaxus Xast
:angry: :)
merged: 07-09-2006 ~ 12:50pm
Forgotten to be mentioned:
I dunno how the main protagonist in FMA did his transmutations ; I just provided an explanations what's exactly
transmutation.
