A warning! This article is for informational, popular science and humorous and entertainment purposes! Alas, now, although it is possible to create gold from lead, this process is very capacious and leads to insignificant results.

Introductory information

Papyrus was found in the tomb of the Egyptian city of Thebes at the beginning of the last century. It contained 111 recipes, among which there were those that considered the possibility of obtaining silver and gold. But, alas, this was aimed at creating fakes or plating other, less expensive objects with precious metals.

Nevertheless, this document showed that alchemy, even in ancient times, captured the minds of people hungry for easy money. Spreading through the Egyptians and Greeks, she was able to gradually capture all of Europe. The greatest practical dawn came in the Middle Ages. Then not only scientists were interested in alchemy, but also state and church officials. So, practically at every imperial palace it was possible to find "specialized" people who were supposed to receive gold in order to improve the state of the treasury. It is widely believed that this can be done with the help of the Philosopher's Stone.

What they were able to achieve in the Middle Ages

Iron, gold, lead and mercury were considered closely related metals - that one of them can be turned into another. For example, take Llull's recipe. He proposed to look at lead and burn it until an oxide of this metal is obtained. Then it was necessary to heat the resulting substance with the acidic alcohol of grapes in a sand bath. The gum obtained from the evaporation was distilled. What remained was to be rubbed on a stone and touched with hot charcoal. Then it was necessary to distill the substance once again and the acetic-lead salt was obtained.

What is the value of this compound? In fact, a common chemical reaction is described, namely the distillation of the acetic-lead salt. This connection could really work wonders. Namely - to restore gold from solutions of its salts.

Further development

Alchemy flourished until the mid-seventeenth century. It was not possible to obtain gold from lead, as well as from other materials. Although chemistry has been studied pretty well. High-ranking officials of that time supported such hobbies, which had a positive effect on the development of applied research. Moreover, many rulers, kings and emperors were alchemists themselves. And many of the transformations carried out by them are not cheating, just the precious metal was contained in the original substance and it was simply isolated.

But over time, the number of people who believed in alchemy began to diminish. A lot of this was facilitated by the fact that the Philosopher's Stone was declared as a panacea for all diseases. When this did not work out in practice, doubts began to arise in alchemy. Although not completely disappointed. Many experiments nevertheless made it possible to obtain gold. True, this was due to the fact that in some natural ores this precious metal is contained in a certain amount. Thanks to various chemical reactions, it turned out to be purified and distilled.

First "successes"

Alchemist Gobmerg was able to obtain gold by melting silver with antimony ore. There was not a lot of precious metal at the exit. But the alchemist believed that the secret of the transformation of metals was revealed to him. True, with an already accurate analysis, it just turned out that a certain percentage of gold was from the very beginning.

The pharmacist Kappel was able to achieve a similar result in 1783 - he obtained the precious metal from silver using arsenic. Perhaps this is solely due to the precipitation of lead iodide. And the gold, as you probably guessed, was already in the ore.

Through science

After the discovery of atoms and transformation reactions, nuclear physicists came to replace alchemists. The basis in this case was laid by Dempster Arthur Jeffrey. Studying the mass spectrographic data of the precious metal, the scientist came to the conclusion that there is only one stable isotope - with a mass number of 197. Therefore, if you want to make gold from lead (or convert another similar material), you need to ensure that the necessary nuclear reaction takes place. It is necessary that it gives exactly the isotope 197 at the exit.

In 1940, this issue began to be studied in more detail. Experiments were carried out on the bombardment of neighboring elements of the periodic table with fast neutrons. These are platinum and mercury. A year later, it was reported that the use of the second material was successful. Gold was obtained. But its isotopes had mass numbers 198, 199 and 200. The scientists received gold, but it existed for a very short period of time. Although from experiments it was concluded that the best starting material is mercury. It is theoretically possible to obtain gold from lead, but it is much more difficult to implement.

Mercury processing

The most suitable for manipulation is material with a mass number of 196 and 199. So, from 100 grams of mercury, you can count on about 35 μg of gold. It is easy to guess that due to the high cost of nuclear transformations, the price turned out to be much higher than the market price. Therefore, this method has not gained popularity.

Obtaining a stable isotope (gold-197) is theoretically possible on an industrial scale from mercury-197. But such a chemical element does not exist in nature. Although you can also pay attention to thallium-201. True, the problem here is of a different nature - this element has no alpha decay. Therefore, it is more urgent to obtain nevertheless the isotope of mercury-197.

You can get it from thallium-197 or lead-197. It would seem, at first glance, that the second option is much easier. But even in this way it is more difficult to obtain gold from lead, because these materials do not exist in nature and must be synthesized through nuclear transformations. That is, it is possible to make precious metal, only it is very difficult and costly. And so the considered option is the most realistic answer to how to make gold from lead.

Cold fusion

Nowadays, it is impossible to make gold from lead at home - this process is too high-tech and costly. And this is due to the fact that it is necessary to carry out hot nuclear fusion. That is, it is necessary to reach significant temperatures, which in itself is very costly from an energy point of view.

If it is possible to launch cold nuclear fusion, then it will be possible to obtain the precious metal at a relatively low cost. True, in this case, the actual question is how to stop it / keep it under control.

Moreover, receiving gold in huge quantities, humanity may cease to value it. After all, this metal is valuable not only because of its qualities and characteristics, but also because it exists in limited quantities. And even with cold nuclear fusion, it is necessary to take into account that the transformation of the elements of the periodic table can be carried out only in one direction - from right to left. In this case, lead is very suitable for turning it into gold. But this, alas, is still in theory.

Conclusion

It is often asked what is heavier than gold or lead. This is an incorrectly asked question. After all, a kilogram will always represent the same weight. More relevant and correct is the question of volume. Or, more scientifically speaking, the density of matter. In this regard, gold occupies a leading position. Among the widespread and well-known materials, it is No. 1 in terms of volume-weight ratio. The closest material that comes to his heels is tungsten. By the way, it is from it that the most often considered precious metal is forged. This is due to the fact that in a number of characteristics these metals differ by percent.

Various materials that are considered to be on the waiting list for conversion to gold can have a multiple difference in terms of volume / weight characteristics. By the way, thanks to this, many do not quite understand how difficult it is to transfer this precious resource. For example, it is very difficult, if not impossible, for an adult man to lift an ingot of gold the size of an average schoolbag.

Today we will talk about how to make or obtain real gold from lead at home on your own. Also consider the description of the ancient alchemical recipe for making pure gold from ordinary lead.

This naive question will most likely give rise to exactly the opposite answers. A few enthusiasts will argue: of course they did! And even now, there are still coins on which it is written that they are made of gold obtained by the alchemical method. Others, representing the rationalist majority, will no less convincingly repeat: all alchemists were charlatans at best, and swindlers at worst, and alchemy is not a science at all, but the crazy mother of an exemplary daughter of chemistry.

In order not to immediately get involved in a stormy controversy, let's try to start with a simpler question: is it possible to get gold from something else? The simplest answer, like “no, because if someone knew how to do this, they would have done it in huge quantities,” we will not be satisfied. After all, there is no doubt that today we do not know many secrets that were known to sages and magicians of antiquity and even simple artisans.

With all the power and perfection of modern construction technology, we are not able to build pyramids that repeat the Egyptian ones, although they were erected thousands, if not tens or even hundreds of thousands of years ago.
The story of the Scottish nobleman Setony is interesting. In 1602 he made a number of successful transmutations in Holland. This brought him fame, and a few years later he ended up in Strasbourg, where he settled with the famous goldsmith Gustenhofer, to whom he left a little philosopher's stone. Emperor Rudolph II invited Gustenhofer to Prague.
But the philosopher's stone, left by Setonius, was soon used up, and the unsuccessful "transmutator", who did not know how to make gold, had to die in prison.
Fate brought Setony himself to Saxony, where Christian II imprisoned him.

Despite the incredible torture that brought him almost to death, the alchemist stubbornly kept his secret. From prison he was rescued by the Pole Sendziwoy and brought to Krakow. Here Setony died of injuries inflicted on him, but before his death he gave Senziwa his philosopher's stone, without revealing the secret of its manufacture. With the help of this means, Sendziwoy turned various metals into gold at the court of Sigismund III in Krakow, about which there is undoubted historical evidence, and was invited to Prague, where Emperor Rudolph, having received a little powder from him, made a wonderful change himself.
In Württemberg, Prince Friedrich received Sendzivoi with high honors, but the alchemist Mühlenfels, who envied him, secretly captured him, took the Philosopher's Stone and put him in prison. When this was opened, Mühlenfels was hanged as a punishment, but Sendziwa did not receive the stone back, he could not make it himself and turned into a simple adventurer.

Having recognized the physical possibility of obtaining some chemical elements from others, we must also recognize the fundamental possibility of converting certain substances into gold. Thus, the question posed in the title of the article turns into the plane of trust in certain historical sources, since today we do not know people who could demonstrate such transmutation in practice.
And here alchemy enthusiasts receive powerful support - after all, history knows numerous cases of such experiments, some of which were carried out or recorded by highly respected scientists.
As for the cases of exposing false alchemists, there have been many swindlers and charlatans at all times. Many aspired to alchemy in order to get rich, to gain power with the help of gold, but no one succeeded in this. However, if alchemy was only deception or delusion, then why did it last for thousands of years? After all, its roots go back to Ancient Egypt.
Besides deceivers, there have always been pure enthusiasts. Driven by love for truth and the desire to learn the secrets of nature, century after century they revived ancient recipes, again and again created a philosopher's stone, which has many amazing properties.

After Roger Bacon in Europe, many practiced alchemy. It flourished in the 13th century. The versatile scientist Albert the Great, Arnold of Villanova, Raymund Llull - a whole galaxy of famous scientists who relied on the knowledge of their predecessors, in particular on the work of the 10th century Arab scientist Jafar (Gerber), devoted all their energies to the problem posed, which was approved by such an authority as Thomas Aquinas.
Raimund Llull - a philosopher, writer, author of several hundred works, the developer of the first logical machine - during his lifetime enjoyed a reputation as the most skillful alchemist who achieved everything that it can give with the help of alchemy. He argued that with the help of the Philosopher's Stone, you can turn any amount of mercury into gold.

Take a bean-sized piece of this precious medicine. Throw it in a thousand ounces of mercury and it will turn into a red powder. Add an ounce of this powder to a thousand ounces of mercury, and it also turns into a red powder. If you take one ounce of this powder and throw it into a thousand ounces of mercury, everything turns into a medicine. Throw an ounce of this medicine into another thousand ounces of mercury, and it turns into gold, which is better than mine. " “Very well, notice,” wrote Llull, “the material of the stone of the philosophers is cheap. It is found everywhere. "

Alchemists believed in the inner unity of Nature, in the fact that everything is connected with everything and everything moves and evolves. And, according to numerous sources, it was not just faith, but knowledge that gave a person power over matter. The main idea of ​​the alchemists is the existence of a single primary matter, of which everything consists; this provides the basis for the general transmutation of substances and elements. According to alchemy, all metals are the rungs of the same ladder leading to perfection.

At the top of this staircase is gold, the most perfect, the noblest metal, not subject to corrosion, surprisingly ductile and at the same time durable, the very color of which is golden, like the color of the Sun, speaks of perfection. On the bottom step is lead, the metal most far from perfect. Alchemists believed that in Nature there is a gradual movement from less perfect to more perfect, there is an evolution of substances. And if so, then this process can be significantly accelerated in an alchemical laboratory, allowing lead to quickly turn into gold.

And then the Philosopher's Stone, or, as it was also called, "the Stone of Philosophers", enters the scene. Many modern researchers consider it to be just a kind of catalyst that helps the alchemical processes go - and in part, perhaps, it is so. But the essence of the philosopher's stone is different.
The famous Dutch chemist Jan Baptist van Helmont (1579-1644) wrote in his book "On Eternal Life": crushed glass ".
And in the same place: “Once I was given 1/4 of a grain (I call 1/600 a part of an ounce a grain). I combined these paper-wrapped quarter grains with 8 ounces of mercury heated in a retort. And immediately all the mercury froze with a noise, ceasing to boil. After everything cooled down, there were 8 ounces and a little less than 11 grams of pure gold. "

In another of his works, van Helmont describes how several times he turned mercury into gold in the same way with the help of grains of the philosopher's stone. "I did these transformations with my own hand using one gram of powder per 1000 grams of hot mercury, and the experiment was crowned with success on fire, as described in the book, to the greatest delight of all those who stood around me ..."

Van Helmont admits that the composition of the philosopher's stone remained unknown to him. Both times he received it from the hands of a man he did not know.

For alchemists there was no division into "living" and "inanimate" nature - all Nature is living, life goes everywhere. And the evolution of all substances is not a simple mechanical improvement of their physical qualities, but, so to speak, their “spiritual growth”. If the reader is confused by such an expression in relation to what he considered to be inanimate matter, let him remember, for example, that we naturally call some metals noble, although the word “nobility” itself implies the presence of certain inner qualities that we usually associate with a person ... Or maybe gold and silver do not corrode precisely because of their inner "nobility"?

Alchemy transforms into perfect what nature has left imperfect, and purifies all things with the power of the spirit that is contained in them. And the Philosopher's Stone is rather a kind of "spiritual substrate", the quintessence of spiritual evolution or that very "inner nobility", rather than just a substance, although it exists materially - it is described as a kind of substance, usually reddish in color. It can be figuratively imagined as a piece of the purest spirit, or spiritual principle, "caught" in the substance. Then one can understand why the addition of the smallest part of the philosopher's stone to base metals transforms them, making them noble - the spiritual principle contained in it ennobles them, forcing them to "run" along the steps of evolution.

One can understand why a panacea is made from the philosopher's stone, a universal cure for all diseases - after all, it is worth “adding” a spiritual principle to a person, and all diseases recede. And one can understand why the philosopher's stone serves as the basis of the alkagest, the universal solvent, for the spirit is always stronger than matter, and no matter can resist it.

Where does this essence of the “stone of philosophers”, this substrate of the spiritual principle come from? Paradoxical as it sounds - from the soul of the alchemist, or rather, from his immortal spirit. Alchemists have always argued that in the process of making the philosopher's stone, a person himself must be transformed internally. We can say that these two transformations - the creation of the philosopher's stone and transmutation, the spiritual growth of the alchemist - are just two facets of the same process, the same evolution. And the Philosopher's Stone obtained as a result of many years of work is just a visible confirmation of the spiritual path of the alchemist, who after that no longer needs gold, no honor, nothing material. In support of this, history tells us about fabulously wealthy alchemists who spent their huge fortunes to help the poor, for the public good, leaving only what they needed.

Johann Frederic Helvetius, a renowned physician and scientist of the 17th century, claimed that in 1666 he was visited by a stranger who discovered high knowledge, who showed him three pieces of stone, "each the size of a small walnut, transparent, pale gray." After much persuasion, the stranger agreed to leave a piece of this stone to Helvetia. The next day, Helvetius expected, as agreed, the arrival of a stranger, but he never appeared. Then Helvetius, deciding that it was some rogue and a liar, and wanting to make sure of this, melted, as he was told, 6 drachmas of tin and, in the presence of his son and wife, poured the resulting powder into it. “When the composition cooled down,” wrote Helvetius, “it shone like gold. We immediately took it to the jeweler, who immediately said that it was the purest gold of all samples that he had ever come across, and immediately offered to pay 50 florins an ounce for it.

When this case became known to Baruch Spinoza, the philosopher personally tracked down the goldsmith who bought this gold, who confirmed the story. “After that,” says Spinoza in one of his letters, “I went to Helvetius himself, who showed me both the gold itself and the smelter, which was still covered with gold from the inside.”

After all this, it becomes clear that alchemy is the path of the few. This is the path of those who are ready to patiently work on themselves day after day for many years, who dare to start over and over again, when failures are thrown back, who seek to elevate their souls, submitting themselves and their whole life to the spiritual principle. And no one can be deceived on this path, because if you came only for gold, you will not receive anything, and if you came to become a Man, you will receive everything, if, of course, you reach the end. Could alchemists make gold? And they could and did ... but the gold itself does not play any role here!

The most ancient technology for producing gold from lead was described back in the days of the Roman Empire, after it seized the territory of Egypt. It is believed that the Roman emperors used this recipe of the priests and pharaohs to replenish their state treasury and fund new wars to capture more vast territories. It looked like this in ancient Latin: “Conflandum tres partes plumbo addito tin partes et mercurium cum sol est circa medium. Partem unam partem palmam oleum vino vitis acetum pugillum hauriens salis ix. Effunde mixtio in vase fictili super summum. Cum plumbi frustro plumbi Mercurio omnino liquidum et mixtae, mox pone in vas aceto et oleo, et statim receptum est vas signati. Et sepelierunt eum in occulto lita vasa ceris atrio domus habitationis vestrae. Etiam urna fossam triennem et comminuet eam. Si factum recte erit vobis tanto pondere auri quantum occupavit "

Here is an arbitrary translation of this recipe from ancient Roman: “Take three parts of lead and melt it, add two parts of tin and one part of mercury when the Sun is at its zenith. Mix one part palm oil and one part wine grape vinegar, two handfuls of salt and one handful of antimony. Pour the mixture into an earthen vessel to the top. When the lead, tin and mercury have completely melted and mixed, then quickly pour them into a vessel with oil and vinegar, and quickly seal the vessel itself. Coat the vessel with beeswax and bury it secretly in the courtyard of the house where you live. Exactly three years later, dig up the vessel and break it. If you did everything right, then there will be as much gold as lead you took. "

If you are going to repeat this ancient alchemical experience, then be careful and follow basic safety techniques. Mercury vapors are highly toxic, so your experiment should be carried out in a respirator and outdoors. When pouring an alloy of lead and other metals into an earthen vessel with oil and vinegar, keep in mind that they will boil and splatter from high temperatures. Wear safety goggles and a hooded jumpsuit

For centuries, alchemists have tried unsuccessfully to turn lead into gold. For them, it was the ultimate goal, not because it would make everyone insanely rich, but because it was considered as close to perfection as it is possible for humans to be.

Gold was a symbol of complete, complete development, rebirth and the victory of good over evil. They tried to create it not to achieve financial wealth, but for a much more sublime reason. And the fact that alchemists often tried to make gold from lead was also not without reason.

Lead was a fairly common metal, but that's not the point either. He symbolized everything that is opposite to gold - everything low, dark, evil. It was the most base of all base metals. Turning it into gold was more than turning a cheap metal into an expensive one. It was the transformation of the devil into the divine. The alchemists who worked on this problem viewed it in terms of four basic elements: earth, air, fire and water.

All they lacked was the particle accelerator.

With this device, researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory were able to turn bismuth - a lead-like material - into tiny pieces of gold. They were so small that they could only be measured by the radiation emitted by the new element as it slowly decayed. In fact, the breakdown of bismuth by high velocity particles helped in the production of gold. Scientists managed to realize the centuries-old dream of alchemists, but this turned out to be a rather unprofitable undertaking - all the efforts cost about 120,000 dollars.

Recently, however, researchers at Princeton University have found a possible way to make alchemy practical. Experimental chemistry has found a way to combine iron atoms with organic molecules to help create a catalyst. Ultimately, it will act in the same way as some of the rather expensive materials (like cobalt and platinum) that are used to trigger chemical reactions like those found in batteries.

The consequences of this can be truly overwhelming. This discovery can be used to create true global energy. Researchers use the same principles when they remove nitrogen from the air and convert it into other forms, such as fuel and fertilizers. This can quickly eliminate the need for large-scale mining or the use of incredibly expensive components. After all, common, base metals will be able to perform the same role with a minimum amount of conversion.

For centuries, mankind has tried to transform one metal into another, but scientists have subsequently stated the opposite. At the same time, alchemists have made incredible contributions to modern science and laid the foundations for today's chemistry. Now scientists "returned to basics" - and the circle is complete.

Lead Gold - Reality or Alchemical Myth? At various times, both outright charlatans and outstanding minds of mankind have worked on the search for an answer to this vital question. Gold is a rare and expensive metal, its production is limited and does not meet the needs of society. The possibility of obtaining metal from lead would solve many problems, including those of a technical nature.

Alchemical research of antiquity and the Middle Ages

For the first time, the ancient Egyptians tried to get the noble metal from lead. At the beginning of the 20th century, a papyrus containing 111 methods was discovered in Thebes. Most of the recipes found were not aimed at the extraction of real metal, allowing you to create high-quality, but short-lived fakes. In the future, work on the creation of a noble metal was continued by ancient Greek thinkers and researchers of the Middle Ages. In the XIII-XVI centuries, not only scientists, but also statesmen were fond of alchemy. Almost every ruler had his own alchemist trying to make gold from various metals, including lead, although mercury was still especially popular.

The experiments of the ancient alchemists

For a long period, alchemists worked on the creation of the philosopher's stone, among the legendary abilities of which was the ability to transform one metal into another. In one of the recipes found in the records of a certain Lully, a naturalist is invited to carry out the distillation of acetic-lead salt. As a result of the manipulations performed, the main component of which was lead and its oxide, products were obtained that reduce gold from solutions of its salts. Thus, gold did not come out of nowhere, but was only extracted from the mixture in which it was already contained. Getting it in this way was outright deception, so the question of how to make gold remained relevant.

The first research in the field of obtaining a philosopher's stone belongs to Nicholas Flamel, a French artisan who lived at the beginning of the XIV century. As a simple copyist of books, he came across one work on alchemy that interested him. The book that fell into his hands was very ancient and in many ways incomprehensible. It took over 22 years to decipher it. During this time, the alchemist fell into despair more than once, as a result, the substance he conceived was created with the help of divine forces that visited Flamel in the process of his pilgrimage to holy places.

In 1382, he managed to create the desired substance and use it to convert the available metal into gold. According to the existing legend, Flamel was discovered not only the secret of transforming gold, but also the secret of longevity. Despite the fact that, according to official sources, the alchemist died in 1414, his death is still in doubt.

Isaac Newton also had a noticeable interest in alchemy in general and in the possibility of gold mining in particular. The outstanding scientist has devoted more than 30 years of his life to studying this issue, being confident that this is not only possible, but will also happen in the near future. Fearing that the ability to obtain precious metals from base metals would cause a drop in demand for gold, Newton initiated a bill prohibiting the disclosure of the secrets of alchemical research.

At the beginning of the 17th century, the name of the Scottish nobleman Setonius became quite popular in medieval Europe. In the course of many years of wandering around the world and scientific research, Setony managed to develop a special red powder, thanks to which the production of gold from lead became feasible. The recipe for the powder was passed from hand to hand for a long time until it was finally lost.

On January 15, 1658, J.K. Richthausen, the personal alchemist of Emperor Ferdinand III, converted lead into gold. This happened in the presence of many witnesses, including members of the imperial family. Work in this direction was continued by Weinzel Seiler, he also managed to obtain metal from lead. The Imperial Treasury in Vienna contains a medal that was once silver, but has become half gold thanks to Seiler's research.

Made of lead, they are in the collection of the Archduke Küchelbecker. This miraculous transformation was created by the alchemist Kronemann, who lived at the court of one of the Brandenburg margraves. In 1667, an ingot of gold, obtained from lead, was presented to the public by Dr. Schweitzer. It was possible to extract the metal with the help of a substance called by the doctor himself the philosopher's stone. Unfortunately, a second attempt to obtain it failed and the experience was soon forgotten.

In 1709, the famous alchemist Gomberg managed to extract gold from silver and antimony ore. The discovery made his colleagues tremendously inspired, against the background of the excitement that arose, attempts to obtain metal from lead continue to be made. Unfortunately, interest in this discovery dried up as quickly as it arose, it was proved that some gold particles were originally present in the ore and therefore the experiment was not pure. And yet, experiments in this direction continued until the beginning of the era of industrialization.

Attempts to obtain gold in the XIX-XX centuries

In the XIX-XX, interest in alchemy dried up, and a new science - chemistry - developed. From that time on, scientists began to be interested not in the result itself, but in the process of metal extraction. The notion arises that no element can be transformed into another after the chemical reaction that created it is complete. Scientists are trying to prove the impossibility of this, but hopes for a miracle still remain.

They started thinking seriously about how gold is made in the era of the discovery of the hydrogen and atomic bomb. Researchers in the middle of the last century tried to solve a number of production problems with the help of such a discovery, but no noticeable success was achieved.

Attempts to get gold from lead

In the 1980s, the famous Russian chemist Boris Vasilyevich Bolotov practically achieved the result, but was charged with a crime and sent to prison. After his release, he did not stop research, but he did not achieve the transformation of metals. This situation is not unique, obtaining gold from any metal will negatively affect the economies of many countries, therefore it is unprofitable. No state in the world would agree to such a state of affairs. It was therefore impossible to get money for research in this area.

Experiments on the creation of gold from lead and other metals are carried out today. But the exact information that someone managed to fulfill the dream of all mankind has not yet been reported. Lead is an element of the 14th group, gold is the 11th. In the periodic table, lead is assigned the 82nd atomic number, gold - 79. Both metals are soft, melt well, but this is where their similarities end. An alloy of lead and gold is extremely fragile, besides, lead is also a highly toxic metal, it is dangerous to work with it without special skills and knowledge.

Which is heavier: gold or lead?

Chemistry teachers told almost everyone in school about the incredible density of the yellow metal. And most of the students asked what is heavier than gold or its counterpart according to the periodic table - lead? It is about 19.3 grams per cubic centimeter. Due to its chemical composition, gold does not enter into any reaction with the environment.

That is why it is so actively used in dentistry. This metal can be not only yellow. It depends on its constituent components. However, regardless of the color, products made of this metal are incredibly popular.

The question arises, how does the density of gold compare with the density of other metals? Which element has the largest mass? This article can answer these and many other questions.

Use of gold

The demand for the yellow metal is determined not only by its use in the production of jewelry and the increase in the gold and foreign exchange reserves of the state. It is also very widely used in many other directions.

In industry, gold began to be actively used due to its chemical properties. They cover mirrors operating in the far infrared range. This is especially useful for all kinds of nuclear research. Also, gold is very often used for soldering components from various materials.

Another area of ​​application is dentistry. This is due not only to the impossibility of the entry of the yellow metal into a chemical bond with the human body, but also to the incredible corrosion resistance.

Pharmacology also cannot do without the use of this amazing yellow metal. Compounds of gold are now actively used in various medical preparations that save from a variety of diseases.

These are not the only uses for gold. Due to the rapid progress, there is an increasing need for the use of gold content in technological innovations. From this we can conclude that the yellow metal is not only an attribute of luxury, but also a useful technical tool, the value of which is increasing every year.

Silver, like gold, has been known to mankind for a long time. It is used not only in the manufacture of jewelry, but also for the manufacture of tableware. Previously, silver was very actively used in minting coins. And today you can see some coins containing a little silver. When choosing a precious metal, the question often arises as to what is heavier than gold or another precious metal - silver.

THE DENSITY OF THIS METAL IS A LITTLE LESS THAN THE DENSITY OF LEAD. IT IS EQUAL TO 10.5 GRAMS PER CUBIC CENTIMETER. THIS SAYS THAT GOLD IS ALMOST TWICE HIGHER THAN SILVER.

In addition to creating table silver and various decorations, this material is very actively used in industry, as well as in the photo industry.

The main properties due to which this element has become so widely used in the industrial field are excellent thermal and electrical conductivity, excellent resistance to interaction with the environment, as well as excellent reflectivity.

Rapidly advancing technological advances have markedly reduced the use of silver in the photo industry. This is due to the fact that thanks to the introduction of modern technologies, the process of production and use of photographic equipment has become much more accessible for most people. This is what ensured the reduction in the use of silver by more than 3 times.

Due to its bactericidal properties, this metal is very actively used in medicine. At the moment, silver is used for the production of antibacterial plaster, as well as the production of filters to purify water from harmful microorganisms.

Silver nitrate used in medicine.

It should be said that the density of lead is almost 10 times less than the density of the noble yellow metal. To understand the density of lead, it should be said that the density of birch or linden is 25 times less. According to the density table, lead is in 20th place, and gold in seventh. From this it is easy to conclude that the yellow metal is much heavier than its opponent.

This element is very well used in the manufacture of various metal structures, as well as in the medical field. This is due to the non-transmission of X-ray rays. The widespread use of lead in various fields is associated with the very cheap cost of this metal. Its cost is almost half the cost of aluminum. Another plus is the relative ease of extraction of this material, which provides a huge supply of supply to the world market.

It is one of the oldest metals known to man. The first metal products, according to the results of archaeological research, appeared in the fourth millennium BC. Iron is much cheaper than the yellow precious metal. This is due to the high content of iron ore in the bowels. And as the textbook on economics says, the greater the demand, the lower the price of the product.

Unlike gold, iron has several oxidation states, and it interacts very actively with the environment. In terms of iron ore reserves, Russia occupies a leading position in the world.

You should immediately answer the question of interest, which is heavier, such a precious metal as gold or ordinary iron. To answer it, you need to look at the density of metals. The density of the precious metal is already known, we will find the value for iron. It equals 7.844 grams per cubic centimeter. From this it follows that this metal, with an equal volume, is not only lighter than gold, but also silver and lead.

Platinum

This element has been known since time immemorial, but in Europe, in its purest form, it was obtained at the beginning of the 19th century. Platinum is a noble metal that used to be 2.2 times more expensive than gold. This was due to the very small amount of platinum in the world. One kilogram of yellow metal accounts for about 30 grams of platinum. At this point in time, the value of gold is much higher. This is due to the chemical and physical properties of the metal.

Platinum is a white-silver metal of extraordinary beauty, which, like gold, occupies a leading place among metals. The most important feature of this metal is its strength. Therefore, platinum jewelry does not wear out. In Russia, there are the following platinum samples - 950,900, 850. Platinum jewelry contains about 95% pure platinum, and a gold product - 750, 75% gold.

Due to its high content, this metal is almost impossible to scratch. That is why it is so widely used in industry. But gold is a completely different story. Another reason is the fact that all gold and foreign exchange funds of countries are composed of gold. This practice has evolved over the centuries and now it is simply pointless to spend decades reforming a well-functioning system.

It is considered surprising that platinum, for a certain period of time, was considered waste in the extraction of gold, which was immediately thrown away.

After evaluating the density of the above metals, I wanted to know what would be heavier, gold, which will remain the unsurpassed leader, or platinum. The density of platinum is 21.45 grams per cubic centimeter. From this it can be concluded that platinum is heavier than the yellow metal. Therefore, platinum jewelry weighs more than gold.

The heaviest elements

The density of five elements was given above, of which platinum is the heaviest. However, it is not the heaviest element on earth. The density of the heaviest element is 22.61 grams per cubic centimeter. His name is osmium.

ONLY AND THIS WAS NOT DENSITY. TRUE THIS ELEMENT WAS ARTIFICIAL IN 1984. HIS CALLED IT HASSIY, ITS DENSITY IS ALMOST TWICE THAN OSMIUM DENSITY.

Surprisingly, this is not a chapel either. There are materials many tens of times the density of Chassiah. However, they are in outer space. The substance contained in white dwarfs can have a density of up to 1000 tons per cubic centimeter. This news shocked the world community.

However, this is not the limit. Neutron stars contain matter with a density of about 500 million tons per cubic centimeter. This figure can easily surpass the density of black holes, however, due to the difficulties of conducting research, this is only theoretically.