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kenewbie
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Have we successfully removed a proton from an atom, or added one? Can we take mercury and remove a proton, or add one to platinum, and so make gold?
Has this been done in a lab?
k
Has this been done in a lab?
k
[PLAIN]http://www.stmary.ws/physics/amsco_review_and_glencoe/chapter05.pdf said:The[/PLAIN] first artificial transmutation of one element to another was performed by Rutherford in 1919. Rutherford bombarded nitrogen with energetic alpha particles that were moving fast enough to overcome the electric repulsion between themselves and the target nuclei. The alpha particles collided with, and were absorbed by, the nitrogen nuclei, and protons were ejected. In the process oxygen and hydrogen nuclei were created.
While I'm uncertain whether this has been done or not I'm pretty sure that part of the work of some particle accelerators is to fabricate certain materials with specific isotopes in them. Whether we can pick and choose which atoms we can and have added a single proton is unknown to me. However I believe I can find out from someone who works in that field. I'll check and get back to you.kenewbie said:Have we successfully removed a proton from an atom, or added one? Can we take mercury and remove a proton, or add one to platinum, and so make gold?
Has this been done in a lab?
k
kenewbie said:Have we successfully removed a proton from an atom, or added one? Can we take mercury and remove a proton, or add one to platinum, and so make gold?
Has this been done in a lab?
k
Defennnder said:This has already been done as far back as 1919. Ernest Rutherford then transmuted nitrogen gas into oxygen by bombarding it with alpha particles.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_transmutation for more details.
Most transmutations are too inefficient to power a reactor, but there are concepts for transmuation using proton accelerators as in Accelerator Driven systems for transactinide transmutation.Ulysees said:What happens with the energy and the energy after in this case? Does the change produce any heat to make a small nuclear reactor out of it?
I like this bit in the wikipedia entry:
> At the moment of realization, Soddy later recalled, he shouted out: "Rutherford, this is transmutation!" Rutherford snapped back, "For Christ's sake, Soddy, don't call it transmutation. They'll have our heads off as alchemists."
Well said. A pioneer must remember to either keep his mouth shut, or phrase profound discoveries in a way that doesn't invite the attention of dogmatic thinker thought police.
Yes, it is possible to add a proton to an atom through a process called protonation. This can occur in chemical reactions where a proton is transferred from one molecule to another, resulting in the formation of a new compound.
Yes, it is possible to remove a proton from an atom through a process called deprotonation. This can also occur in chemical reactions where a proton is transferred from one molecule to another, resulting in the formation of a new compound.
When a proton is added to an atom, the atom becomes positively charged, as the number of protons now exceeds the number of electrons. This can result in changes in the atom's chemical and physical properties.
When a proton is removed from an atom, the atom becomes negatively charged, as the number of electrons now exceeds the number of protons. This can also result in changes in the atom's chemical and physical properties.
There are limitations to adding or removing protons from an atom. The atomic number of an element, which is determined by the number of protons in its nucleus, cannot be changed without changing the element itself. Additionally, adding or removing protons can significantly alter the stability and reactivity of an atom.