Quick Take: Gold from lead and ancient alchemy
Kit Knightly
I just wanted to bring this story to everybody’s attention…not because it is weighty or scary, just because it’s interesting.
The Independent reports:
Scientists mimicking the Big Bang accidentally turn lead into gold – Physicists have made an unexpected breakthrough
The headline is actually inaccurate, the development is neither a “breakthrough” nor entirely unexpected. Scientists in America turned bismuth into gold back in the 1980s. Rumoured reports of nuclear reactors changing lead into gold go back to at least the 1970s, when Soviet scientists found some lead shielding on a nuclear reactor had turned into gold.
The science is relatively simple as nuclear physics goes, a lead atom differs from a gold atom by 3 protons. If you can remove these protons from lead, you get gold. That is apparently what happened during an experiment at the Large Hadron Collider:
While smashing lead atoms into each other at extremely high speeds in an effort to mimic the state of the universe just after the Big Bang, physicists working on the ALICE experiment at the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland incidentally produced small amounts of gold.
The process of “removing” those protons is neither easy nor energy efficient, but it is fascinating. And the story spurred a somewhat interesting chat on X after I mentioned the story.
One reply doubted it was true, arguing it was a psy-op to devalue gold. When I countered these reports are not new and go back to the 70s, he re-countered with the point that is when we left the gold standard. It’s a potentially interesting tangent, although one that doesn’t personally sit right with me, since nobody has ever suggested this is a practical way to manufacture gold en masse.
What I personally find interesting – removed from modern politics – is that this actually proves alchemy correct and nobody has really engaged with that.
The Independent article even demonstrates a bizarre doublethink about it…
Medieval alchemists dreamed of transmuting lead into gold. Today, we know that lead and gold are different elements, and no amount of chemistry can turn one into the other.
But our modern knowledge tells us the basic difference between an atom of lead and an atom of gold: the lead atom contains exactly three more protons. So can we create a gold atom by simply pulling three protons out of a lead atom?
As it turns out, we can. But it’s not easy.
Which is just funny to me.
“Alchemists believed you can turn lead into gold, which we know is silly because they are two different things, but also they’re not and you can.”
Essentially, ancient alchemists believed that, through harnessing some unknown natural force, it was possible to change lead into gold…and they were 100% correct.
There’s no getting around that.
Whether or not they knew why they were correct is immaterial. They may not have known that nuclear power existed, how atoms worked or what a proton was…but they were still right.
In maths terms, they had the answer, but couldn’t show their working.
Now, maybe that’s just a mad coincidence, or maybe it is…something else. We’ll never know for certain, but whatever the explanation, it’s certainly interesting, don’t you think?
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What if lead into gold was awakening from the sleepstate into spirituality.
I hate to be a party-pooper (not least because Kit Knightly is my favourite writer here), but strictly speaking, lead and gold are different elements, because an element is defined by its proton number: that is, an atom with six protons in its nucleus is by definition a carbon atom, an atom with 26 protons is iron, and so on. So lead and gold are different elements, purely for the reason that lead has 82 protons in its nucleus, whereas gold has only 79.
Also, it is not possible to convert one element into another via chemical means — since chemical reactions involve only an atom’s outer electrons. They don’t affect the nucleus (where the protons are located). Chemical reactions are relatively low energy reactions and can only join or separate atoms: they are unable to change one element into another. To change one element into another, a much higher energy reaction is needed; one which has enough energy to alter the number of protons in the nucleus — i.e. a nuclear reaction.
However, the writer of the article in The Independent didn’t really explain this very clearly (I’m often amazed at the poor quality of articles in the national press) and so it did seem as though there was a contradiction. But technically, the writer’s statement was correct: lead and gold are different elements (because they have different numbers of protons), and no amount of chemistry (which affects only electrons) can turn one into the other.
Other than that, I agree (as I almost always do) with what Kit says. Particularly this…
I do think it’s interesting. Not least because alchemists were steeped in the occult.
Where do “scientific discoveries” come from? Take, for example, the chemical elements (since they are the subject of this post), and how Dmitri Mendeleev “discovered” how elements are arranged in the Periodic Table. Mendeleev himself wrote in his diary:
That was in the 19th century, and it paved the way for the chemical revolution of the 20th. …A chemical revolution which transformed life, providing innumerable benefits to humans, but which has left the earth horribly polluted, and has caused untold harm and suffering.
Similarly, in the 20th century, Seymour Cray, “the father of supercomputing”, would explain that his amazing success was due to his being visited by “elves” who would come to him with solutions to technical problems. And, just as chemistry turned the world upside-down during the 20th century, so computing looks set to do the same in the 21st.
Is humanity being led in a certain direction by such discoveries?
It’s not a new idea. Two millennia ago, the Book of Enoch recounted that angelic beings taught science to mankind. …The result of which was that the earth and all life on it became so corrupted that it was ultimately wiped out.
Are we following in their footsteps? I wonder…
Thanks for your due explanation.
To yr last question let me add that God by the rainbow promised to not wipe out mankind again. So we must assume God’s way to erase the corrupt part will be selective this time.
How about biological transmutation? If biology does it, why couldn’t it be applicable in the outside world… learned? Of course it would devalue Au to a sensible level. We are beings of extremes that require tempering!
Au
Ag
Pb
The same as it ever waZ. Onward to the inevitable and long overdue co££ap$€ of their worthless fiat filth toilet paper.
I still got two of these, said to the world’s most beautiful gold coin.
You can come up with lead, platinum, chemical or nuke gold, chemical diamonds are forever, Bitcoin, CBDC, Fiat dollares, windmills, electric cars, alchemy or whatever stock paper you like.
You will never be able to beat the real stuff in real life.
Who needs explosives, Rumpelstiltskin promises to spin straw into gold if you sacrifice your first born by giving it to him.🤑
Today, that wouldn’t be a fairytale but a bizarro news story printed in the New York Post or Daily Mail.
Gold and mercury, on tops of spires, ‘fireplaces’ with conducters, with energy from the ether there
Alchemy was foremost an unorthodox spiritual quest that cloaked itself in chemical metaphors to protect itself from accusations of heresy, at a time when such accusations could lead to a death sentence. Thus, “turning lead into gold” was a metaphor for techniques for spiritual perfection, similar to attaining enlightenment in eastern religions.
As our western culture became increasingly materialist, so did our interpretation of what alchemy had aspired to do – a typical case of presentism – and we started conflating the metaphor with the the actual thing.
Just basic info for the discussion: Density Lead 11,3g/cm2, Gold 19,3g/cm3.
Gold is MUCH heavier than Lead. Further, 1g Gold can be stretched our to a 1 m2 sheet.
Protons must be anti gravity, remove 3 from lead and you get heavier gold?
Precisely. You can dumb any science by keeping it KISS: Keep It Simple Stupid.
But….’Science’ (‘the latest’) says it is not gravity from an inner giant magnet who pulls us and everything down as they(we) up todays date have thought, but it is the universe who do pressure on us and Lead, and when you remove 3 you have more pressure………and thus gold 🤔 .
Some are professors and some are not! It is THAT simple.
Interesting indeed – but probably just a coincidence gold and lead are very similar unreactive, dense and malleable – and that’s why the likes of Nicolas Flamel though he could change one into the other – by using a a secret book, and the Philosophers Stone.
I guess under the right conditions – many elements can be changed or created, like in the heart of a star, we can already make lab grown diamonds – is it a psy-op unlikely – its again probably more of a coincidence timing wise as gold prices rocket – with opposing governments buying gold up as a security.
Lead Into Gold? Nicolas Flamel and The Philosopher’s Stone – Historic Mysteries
The white-robed “scientist priests” of the science-cult at CERN are fiddling with their “Hardon” gadget and wasting colossal sums of money and vast resources in pursuit of a futile quest that they created themselves. My understanding of Alchemy is that it is a metaphor for human development: the path to transforming basic human qualities into a higher form; that of enlightenment and true freedom.
You make a good point there Brian
And remember… that apparent occult ritual filmed at CERN was just a bit of LARP-ing!
Alchemy claims to be true as both microcosm and macrocosm. I don’t see how its metaphorical claims can have any credence if it’s wrong on the literal level. Perhaps those who claim to believe in alchemy could drink some mercury regularly and let everyone else observe their health for the next twenty years? Maybe they’ll live to 150 in rude health…. but I doubt it somehow.
Touche to you!
I suspect that what you’re alluding to is not too different to the old adage, i.e. “Some people look for beauty in many places, others make many places beautiful …” or something to that effect.
It’s very interesting in a lot of different ways. The MSM take tries to put it back in it’s box. The ‘everything is a psy-op’ guys take tries to put it in his box. I like Kits take, who sees both boxes and just accepts it is what it is.
I’m reminded of other visionaries in the same vein as the Alchemists that were mostly written off only to be proven correct. Viktor Schauberger and his facinating theories on water, mostly written off until science recognised Exclusion Zone water (EZ water).
Rudolph Steiner who’s insights into soil biology gained from conversing with spirit guides were mostly written off until microbiologists started applying science to compost teas (AACT) and it becomes mainstream in the Regenerative Agriculture movement.
Makes one wonder about all the esoteric symbology the elites seem to favour. The mystery schools all started with the study of Alchemy!
Here’s a little story in a similar vein. Some ecologist types were experimenting on some very degraded land to work out if it was possible to regenerate the soil, it was an old mine dump, nothing was growing there. Soil tests showed there was no Boron in the soil at all.
All cells need a tiny amount of Boron. Boron is essential for cell wall synthesis and stability, influencing growth, pollination, and seed formation. For one reason or another, Boron was not added to the soil amendments in the trial, this oversight wasn’t noticed until they were doing plant tissue analysis after the first season, the common nettle plant, which had grown in abundance, had accumilated Boron. Nobody can explain how this could happen. Nettle is classed as a dynamic accumilator, compost made from nettle is one of the best composts you can make.
Which brings us back to Steiner and his Biodynamic preperation BD504, which involves burying nettles in soil, typically in clay pots, for a year to transform them into a dark colloidal humus. This process helps to stabilize nitrogen and improve soil structure, particularly in soils with iron imbalances.
Steiner was a man way ahead of his time.
Most overhyped alternative person of a century ago, but a German so palatable for Westernized folks.
At least Steiner predicted the corona show, not bad for a scientist:
?w=618&ssl=1
If the monsters of greed and war can be kept out, all sorts of barren land can be turned green. Traditional farming and volunteers have proven this repeatedly.
Off topic but curious as another indication of the current Groovy Left patrolling of all entertainment channels.
There is a movie called “Eddington” coming out shortly and it has apparently kicked up a stink. I first got wind of this when I heard this piece referred to as a “MAGA Western”.
“MAGA” is of course the knee-jerk label for “Far Right Extremist Bigoted White Supremacist” etc. And therefore a warning for all us Groovy Lefties to STAY AWAY!
Now I haven’t seen the movie yet and may never do. Maybe it’s great. Maybe it’s crap. Maybe it is indeed a piece of Evil Right Wing etc. But The Guardian as a prime example of Groovy Left sermonising hints at the concerns of our plastic liberal proggies.
Here is the title:
“Eddington review – Ari Aster’s tedious Covid western masks drama and mutes his stars”
Right away – note “Covid western”! And at the mention of the big “C”, we know we’re in the realm of jealously guarded hackery.
We find this film is “Bafflingly dull” Good move! If you blew off steam you’d only raise interest. You want to put people off. Therefor call it BORING! (Which it clearly isn’t for you!)
The director Aster “now worryingly creates a losing streak with this bafflingly dull movie”. “Creates”? Presumably up till now Aster has been a good little boy! The film is “a laborious and weirdly self-important satire which makes a heavy, flavourless meal of some uninteresting and unoriginal thoughts – on the Covid lockdown, online conspiracy theories, social polarisation, Black Lives Matter, liberal-white privilege and guns”. Ah – the first two are pressure points of the Groovies. The rest are regurgitated “Leftist” concerns.
We read that two of the main characters “interestingly taking opposite sides to their counterparts in Spielberg’s Jaws on the personal liberty issue”. That would be the now endlessly referenced fight over whether to keep the seaside town open when it’s being menaced by a shark, covid being likened to the shark and the evil Mayor being likened to all those Tory bastards who wanted to keep the businesses running. Because covid was just like the shark in Jaws etc.
Though interestingly the Mayor is the “Good Guy” here:
“Here, the mayor insists on restrictive mask-wearing and Sheriff Cross refuses to wear his and is resentful of the mayor supporting construction plans for a giant new “online server farm” – gobbling up resources and symbolically sowing discord via the internet – and this complicates existing tensions.”
We are introduced inevitably to a “querulous conspiracy theorist and social media addict – although the problem of how to make these particular things funny or interesting is one the film never solves”. Because as we all know, “conspiracy theorists” are BORING!
So we get nods to racial tensions and curiously a “charismatic cult leader ….who has recovered memories of child abuse and encourages his followers to do the same”.
I suspect a nod to the Epstein matter to ridicule it.
But generally we are assured that “it all feels secondhand …. There is no accumulation of drama or tension or intellectual revelation …”
“Intellectual revelation”? What the fuck? I’m gusessing this is a code for Guardian luvvie pseuds.
“What exactly is it saying that we didn’t know already?”
Oh that’s better than “boring”. We already knew it all!
“The wait for Aster to recover his directorial form goes on.”
Maybe our disgraced director will go on to atone by making a “Don’t Look Up” that shovels out fear of bugs, climate, approaching meteors, trans Armageddon etc.
Protons have been proved to exist how? I mean, scientists would never lie to us, right?
They exist in a microscope.
“Percy, you have discovered Green”
‘Everything ‘lost’ is remembered in Art.’ … (anon) …
although religion is the memory* of ‘lost’ love…
** or ‘a reminder of ‘lost’ love…’ ?
Ahh, the mysteries of the Universe. Forever fascinating.
Newton was not only a major Physicist and Mathematician but an alchemist too, apart from a believer in god apart from gold.
The English Crown fearing devaluation of their gold made life of other alchemists difficult. Isaac was master of their Mint; had he been successful pouring lead gold he would have beaten printing money exclusively.
Of note is that Keynes was a Newton scholar
Angels are made of light
so too your Guardian Angel.
When the lights go out
no more will we be en-lightened.
https://arena.org.au/australian-cultures-death-in-venice/
I personally dont find it interesting. Same old story, try to change God’s Creation (we show we can do this better than God).
You could say the same with DNA: Wauww today we know how to laboratory make ‘better tigers’, ‘better beans’, ‘better read meat’……..than God did it.
We knew that in ancient times too………from Satan or cosmos and/or the Big Bang, but we didnt know how to explain it. We could FEEL that we could do it better.
Everytime I meet these type of questions, it continue to surprise me how I always can find answer in the Scriptures:
First I caught this one: “Babies know the difference between good and evil at six. according to psychologists, they have already developed a sense of moral code – and can tell the difference between good and evil.”
Genesis
3:22. “And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”
3:23. therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.
So here we are, spending our lives like Sisyphus, making gold from lead, seeing the weather as a threat to sales figures and London Stock Exchang, einstead of trying to live after God’s simple Commandments which could make a man’s life filled with joy and peace and a real hope.
But ok, many of you guys are not religious but come from an ape due to your hero Darwin, so for you these laboratory questions are extremely interesting.
Cool, be cool, stay cool man.
Just love your way of thinking!
I heard this John Finnemore sketch a while back and although it’s just a silly sketch it always stuck in my mind.
…who knows maybe alchemists did just become investment bankers it’s a funny idea in relation to this article
https://youtu.be/8i7g5em_Iug?si=xMLhLgLY1nWvU6PQ
Bull’s eye…………lol.
That Hadron Collider project now makes a little more sense. If you’re wondering why the world is so obscessed with gold read Zecharia Sitchin’s The Earth Chronicles. Perhaps the Anunnaki are still running human society on earth today in the hope of restoring the atmosphere on their home planet. Sounds absurd, I know. But read the books.
Hadn’t heard of this author Veri.
He sounds like an interesting bloke.
He certainly created a lot of controversy.
From my meagre research, some of his detractors seem to have some fair criticism.
He’s deceased. The criticisms generally come from two factions / angles:
The US Bible Belt people and the fact (?) that he was a Freemason.
With regard to the latter, I ask whether it could not be said that anyone who was anybody in those days wasn’t a Freemason, no matter the level of club brainwashing, errr, I mean, attainment?
The people of the lower degrees certainly were not evil, nor did they know what the 31st and unward degree members were up to. It’s like the CIA, everything is compartmentalised.
Getting back to his writings, the Earth Chronicles is meticulously researched and referenced and to me seemed very sound. Oddly, despite the Bible Belt bashers’ criticisms of him, he referred most of his theories and hard fact archeological discoveries back to the themes and events referenced in the Bible…
Though the reason why he’s so reviled by Christians is that he shows that early man revered these Anunnaki as gods (and in the Bible later on the gods became the one and only God).
Thanks for that Veri.
I’ll check out his work.
I do Love a good story, and you come across as a discerning and erudite reader.
If it’s discernment and erudition you’re looking for, then try this.
When one looks at the original texts, Sitchin’s assertions simply do not stand up to scrutiny.
Thanks JS.
I’ll pass it on to Veri Tas.
‘JS’, a biblical scholar sent me this link.
What thinkest thou?
Same people who told you the above also told you that Jesus feed 5000 people with five loaves/breads and two fish.
😂
I read recently that with current computing power, they tried to explain chemical reactions using the quantum theory model and it was not helpful.
Why? Perhaps because quantum theory is pure math forced onto reality.
Learn the issues here… https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkdAkAC4ItcHNLDIK9ORydQl_Ik6GJ0bD
And if you want to understand those math geniuses and other geniuses that came up with bullshit like quantum theory and vaccines….
https://robc137.substack.com/p/left-brain-vs-whole-brain-in-battlestar
I saw a vid the other day (can’t find it now) where one of the AI investors was before the US congress stating that they will need much more power to run the AI grid (obviously) and that power for other purposes, i.e. human use, would have to be cut to about 1% of usage. In another video I saw a map of US states where the “real ID” program already had or was being planned to be rolled out which would require massive AI computing power.
‘Beyond the Reset 2023’ “The Great Reset ‘3D’ Animated Movie” comes to mind.
https://rumble.com/v2gxgs0-beyond-the-reset-2023-movie.-the-great-reset-3d-animated-movie.html
Rob, allow me an adjustment to your approach. You focus to much on criticising the actual test, report, for being un-precise or false.
What you do is taking the test, report, news, postulate, whatever, and go out in real world and see if the said conclusion is found.
Example: Do you see the conclusion from the Milgram test being played out in real life?
Yes you do, yes?
So if you do find the report’s conclusion to be right in real life, it doesnt matter how many error trifles you can find in and around the said test yes?
Every Age has its Myths.
The Myth we have of our Age is that We Are Not Mythical.
“There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” – said someone, once upon a time.
“…God himself couldn’t sink this ship..” – said someone else. Probably.
But what would be the point of producing more gold? All you’ve done is to increase the number of units serving as measures of exchange. If you produced more of some item that was actually usable for something other than exchange then that would have been something.
The reason for alchemy was to be rich before anyone else. Off course as of now with oil, with too much gold (or oil), it becomes too cheap to be used.
But at that time you have already but bought up the whole world. You are rich and the rest of the world stand with worthless gold/oil in their hands. Thats the mindset.
If gold was cheaper than copper it would be used in cables because it’s an excellent conductor.
But I suppose Alchemists were doing their thing, way before electricity…so that’s not a good suggestion.
Being malleable, gold is also good for tooth cavities.
And a hell of a lot safer than Mercury based materials.
Agree, and that is exactly why they dont use gold in dents anymore.
I have asked for it, but they claim gold is obsolete, price wise and technically, compared to their new ‘artificial’ plast crowns where carries can continue to work behind the facade.
When gold was USD35 a troy ounce (up until 1971), it was affordable for fillings. At USD 3530 today, not so much.
Lets try to make a calc: Say 20g/cm3, a cavity 3mm*3mm*3mm = 1/27cm3, a crown 5mm*5mm*5mm = 1/8cm3.
31g=ounze=USD3500. 1 cm3=USD2260.
Cavity = USD85
Crown = USD285
It doesnt look too bad to me, notwithstanding we raise the cm3 used to the double figure.
This incorrect statement made me curious.
Gold resistivity – 22.14 nano ohms per meter
Copper – 16.78
Silver – 15.27
The lower the resistivity, the better the conductor of electricity. So copper is a better conductor than gold.
While I was at it, I checked out silver which was 15.87. I found this very interesting as silver is much more expensive and rarer than copper, but used in many high end electronics anyway. Often this is claimed due to silver being a better conductor, but this is true only by a few percent. I suspect that it has a lot more to do with silver’s greater corrosion resistance. Many high end stereo connectors have a thin gold plating. This is due to gold being so corrosion resistant. Platinum is even better but it is 40 times rarer than gold.
I refuse to collect Platinum bullion to get rich. You are not going to get me jumping on that train. Just saying!
As I recently proved with the “Shiloh” donation case, they believe even unproven claims. Of course, idiots try to “defend” their idiocy with crude name-calling instead of investing their energy in investigative truth-seeking.
Even NNR-Nick, whos ideas just flying out his brain, is not always consistent in thinking. For example, when playing a video with a “Rabbi Heyer”, he concluded that Heather “logically” must also have been Jewish, but of course this was concealed from public.
Since I consider it manly and intellectually appealing (because one thereby preserves and proves one’s independence in drawing conclusions) to go against the mainstream (even within a political group), I would like to develop a contrary theory here:
I maintain that the name Heyer is less Jewish than German, and the unfortunate Mrs. Heyer could not have stifled the “revolution” like her wanton killer. I even claim that this madman is the culprit of the disaster, and that he is at least a quarter, if not a half Jewish.