How do you change lead into gold ?

Question: How do you change lead into gold ?
- Keywords:
  chemistry,
  gold,
  lead
Asked by ethancoogan to Cathal, Ciara, Emma, Michael, Sive on 16 Nov 2013.
- Michael Nolan answered on 16 Nov 2013:
  
  Short answer is you cannot.
  Using normal chemistry it is not possible as you cannot change the identity of an atom.
  Thus the dreams of the alchemists are dashed.
  However you could do using nuclear reactions by hitting lead with helium nuclei which could be absorbed by the lead so that it picks up enough protons and neutrons to make gold. You wont make lots of gold but that is the basic idea.
  M
- Cathal Cummins answered on 18 Nov 2013:
  
  To add to what Michael said, another interesting question is where do atoms come from in the first place? Well Gold, for example, is made by dying stars. As large stars come to the end of their life they start building the periodic table of elements before exploding and “scattering their guts” across the galaxy… in fact, most elements in your body began their life as a dying star and then exploded in an explosion that lights up an entire galaxy!!! We really are made of stars!!! 🙂
- Sive Finlay answered on 18 Nov 2013:
  
  Just to add to Cathal’s point about stars, here’s an explanation from the Dart of Physics about our starry origins
  http://www.dartofphysics.ie/physics-darts/we-are-all-made-stardust

Question: How do you change lead into gold ?