[Imjustthatguy]

Hello everyone,

My name is Ramon and I'm just passing by to throw around some ideas. Why isn't there a machine that can actually take an element and strip it apart to rearrange the atoms to create another element? For instance turning water to wine, or water to gold?

What exactly is gold made out of on an atomic level? Lets say an ounce for instance?

How much power would this machine require? And does it need a lot of power by attacking the quantum mechanics level?

The reason this idea popped in my mind is because our world works off of resources. But if we can ditto a resource and clone it then it will cut the cost of all resources making everything practically free. Even though we will have to borrow from some other source of energy.

[mjc123]

Why isn't there a machine that can actually take an element and strip it apart to rearrange the atoms to create another element?

Elements consist of the same type of atoms. You can't turn one element into another by rearranging the atoms. Chemistry is about rearranging the atoms of different elements to give different chemical compounds. That is relatively easy. To convert one element to another you would have to strip apart the atoms themselves and rearrange their constituents - protons, neutrons and electrons - into atoms of another element. That requires MUCH more energy. It happens in nuclear reactors and stars. Most of the elements we know were made in supernova explosions. That's how difficult it is.

Perhaps you're not a chemist and not using the word "element" as chemists do; perhaps you just meant "substance". Gold is an element. Water is a compound (of hydrogen and oxygen). Wine is a mixture of compounds. "What exactly is gold made out of on an atomic level?" Gold atoms. (You really think an ounce is "atomic level"?) What is water made of? Water molecules (consisting of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom). You can't convert water to gold. You can't convert water to wine chemically, as wine contains (among other things) alcohol (C₂H₅OH), so you can't just rearrange the atoms, you need to get carbon atoms from somewhere, which aren't present in water.

But if we can ditto a resource and clone it then it will cut the cost of all resources making everything practically free. Even though we will have to borrow from some other source of energy.

Then it's not free, is it?

[Imjustthatguy]

Thank you for your response. I am not a chemist, but the reason I suggested an ounce was to start from somewhere. I would assume an ounce of gold is made up of a combination of the same element.

Now for the free world, it will possibly just have to take from another resource from the Universe, and turn it into the resource we are currently lacking. How I'm visualizing chemicals are just atoms, protons, and neutrons (from basic research) arranged in a specific order to create a type of element, then one can compound that element to form an ounce or gram and so on; so, if this is how it's made by learning to rearrange particles we can practically create anything.


As you said earlier it will require a lot of energy which I think will be the hardest accomplishment.

[Imjustthatguy]

Also, I didn't mean to complicate the post with molecules. I'm strictly aiming at atoms and elements. I was also thinking just grabbing the neutrons or atoms in a Hydrogen element and transferring some to say another to create gold or any other element.

[mjc123]

You still don't seem to get the HUGE distinction. You can't turn one element into another by rearranging atoms! You would have to rearrange the constituents of atoms to make different atoms. That is ENORMOUSLY more difficult. Is there a machine that can do it? Yes, it's called a supernova. Unfortunately you can't buy a small one to put in your garden shed.