The artificial production of gold is the age-old dream of the alchemists. It is possible in particle accelerators or nuclear reactors, although the production cost is currently many times the market price of gold. Since there is only one stable gold isotope, 197Au, nuclear reactions must create this isotope in order to produce usable gold. Gold synthesis from mercury Gold obtained by mining has copper and silver impurities. Gold of higher purity can be made through the photoneutron process: Mercury 198 + 6.8MeV gamma ray 1 neutron + Mercury 197 (half-life 2.7 days Gold 197 + 1 positron) These energy levels allow a more efficient neutron source than the Spallation Neutron Source. Gold synthesis in an accelerator Gold synthesis in a particle accelerator is possible in many ways. The Spallation Neutron Source has a liquid mercury target that will be transmuted into gold, platinum, and iridium, which are lower in atomic number. Gold synthesis in a nuclear reactor Gold was first synthesized from mercury by neutron bombardment in 1941, but the isotopes of gold produced were all radioactive.[3] Gold can currently be manufactured in a nuclear reactor by irradiation either of platinum or mercury. Only the mercury isotope 196Hg, which occurs with a frequency of 0.15% in natural mercury, can be converted to gold by neutron capture, and following electron capture-decay into 197Au with slow neutrons. Other mercury isotopes are converted when irradiated with slow neutrons into one another or formed mercury isotopes, which beta decay into thallium. Using fast neutrons, the mercury isotope 198Hg, which composes 9.97% of natural mercury, can be converted by splitting off a neutron and becoming 197Hg, which then disintegrates to stable gold. This reaction, however, possesses a smaller activation cross-section and is feasible only with un-moderated reactors. It is also possible to eject several neutrons with very high energy into the other mercury isotopes in order to form 197Hg. However such high-energy neutrons can be produced only by particle accelerators. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthesis_of_noble_metals What is the current artificial production price? Millions? Thousands? Hundreds? Per Ounce. As technology gets cheaper and the spot price goes higher, there will come a time when the spot price of Gold and the Artifical price of Gold will meet? What do you think this price point will be? Will it be in our lifetime? Or many years away?
As the price of gold go's higher they will start to reopen old mines. A lot of the mines abandoned still have gold in them, just not enough to make them financial gain, not enough in them to make a dollar pulling it out. If there is 2million worth of gold underground,but its going to cost them 2million+ to remove it, it will stay there. So i can see them re mining a lot of areas as it gets more expensive, i think then as gold really starts to run out you will see mining costs and Artificial gold production costs close a gap, become close to equal, then gold production may see this change. In my lifetime no, but my children's yes.
Yes, I have covered this a few times in SS. Now read carefully. Do you honestly believe 'they' would announce to the world synthesizing Gold is not only doable, but actually cheap to do so since 1930s? Do you realize the Diamond cartel and industry has had the capability to produce perfect Diamonds for only a few cents each for many years? The media still do not share this (apart from my ABC interview which was not broadcasted on mainstream media). If the general public were to find out about the fraudulent Diamond industry they would not be willing to hand over $$$$ for something worth a few cents. Now, apply this same reasoning and principle to the Metals industry and 'their' capability being able to produce 'lab' created Gold and other metals. Cost of creating Gold is determined by electricity used and labour (wages) involved. It would be 'unfair' to include the outright cost associated to engineer and assemble the technology required to synthesize Gold and other Metals. I will give you some specs and info about one cyclotron called TRIUMF (and for very good reason). Built in 1968[/*] 340+ Engineers and Scientist employed[/*] 150+ Students (don't get paid)[/*] Canadian Government has already paid for infrastructure (totaled $80 Million) and approved funds to run the cyclotron for 5 years costing $222 Million CAD. Now, if we entertain the idea that each Specialized Staff receive $300,000 CAD salary (per year) that leaves $120 Million CAD for running costs. Divide $120 Million CAD by 5 to leaves $24 Million CAD per year cyclotron electrical running costs (if not Cold Fusion).[/*] Generates non synthesized revenue purely by those wishing to lick the belly of TRIUMF of over $1 Billion CAD per year.[/*] Collaborates with over 50 other international 'research' institutes.[/*] Canada National Lab (apparently) owned[/*] Is able to beam 1 Trillion Particles no problem[/*] Points to know: - One Particle = Proton or Neutron or Electron. - Proton + Electron + Neutron = 3 Particles - Gold has approx 275 particles in one Atom (79 being Electrons). - Since the TRIUMF is able to 'handle' 1,000,000,000,000 Particles (Trillion) per fire - I gram of Gold contains approx 24,150,300,000,000,000,000,000 electrons - 1 gram of Gold contains approx 24,150,300,000,000,000,000,000 Protons - 1 gram of Gold contains approx 36,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 Neutrons - Total Particles in 1 gram of Gold is 85,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (rounded up to nearest whole). - Therefore, it would require 850,000,000 runs of the Cyclotron to be able to produce 1 gram of Gold (and that 'if' it is 100% efficient without energy lost as heat et cetera). - Now, the TRIUMF apparently only fires on avg 6 High Intensity beams per week for 13 weeks, bring the total amount of fires to 78 beams fired per year. - It would take TRIUMF approx 10,897,436 years at their apparent current rate to produce one gram of Gold. Now, I am not expressing it is cheap nor am I expressing it is expensive. I can only go by the word and specs released to public and take for as a grain of salt. All of the above is purely speculative and based on if the figures released from TRIUMF to public are true and accurate. Also note, I had only used approx numbers for all calculations as I had already wasted over a few hours of my time just to bloody calculate shyt properly on paper since my netbook computer is giving me the shyts. So, I believe it is safe to say figures maybe off by a factor of 10 (i.e. power of 10 or e10). TRIUMF has received so much funding by both internal and external parties it had enough to not only cover cost of infrastructure, wages, extended 5 year running cost, but also had enough to build a damm Rare Isotope Splitter and Producer called ARIEL (up there with ATLAS). Now, I have been discussing the importance of isotopes role in the future of textiles materials and metals for reasons such as this and many other isotopic developments. Here is some trivia; One gram of 235U (Uranium) contains "2.610 by the power of 21" atoms. Now, one gram of 235U is able to produce 1 MegaWatt of Energy. Use your imagination here. Obviously enough energy is produced from the Cyclotron to be able to drive itself (after all the Founder of TRIUMF John Warren led research into Cold Fusion Energy). Anything produced has been for 'free' (excluding wages and kick backs). ----------------------------------- The question you should be asking is; how much fkn time did I take typing this shyt out on my crap netbook? Please work that out for me. -----------------------------------
Done. Thanks. Awesome. please 4give me but i honestly cant be stuffed checking draft for mistakes (re: syntax grammar blah blah). Just go with flow. Havnt slept okat stfu
You got to be fkn kiddin me! >_< No way I am copying and pasting 100 sources. I suggest you cross reference, research and calculate for yourselves if doubting and concerned that much over my figures and posted specs, for fun mind you. Now, go drink your milk. I'm going to nap nap now.
Putting my conspiracy theories aside, yes, in our lifetime. Putting aside Max Max zombie apocalypse, within 20 years synthesizing Gold will be cost effective (what will cost effective mean then is debatable). Goodnight/morning. Now Zzzzzz
