Modern Alchemists of Modern Times

Throughout history, mankind has thought a lot about gold, which is highly valued. How can I turn something simple into gold?

This question has always haunted him.

You've probably read the novel The Alchemist. The famous novel by the Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho, translated into 26 languages. 

It is the life story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd.

Gold is the subject there too. 

***

Today we know that all the elements in the periodic table, starting with hydrogen, can somehow be transformed into each other.

We can't do it, but at least we know that there are mechanisms in the universe that do it.

Reactions at the nuclear level require enormous heat and pressure, conditions that only exist in the universe in the cores of stars.

Nuclear reactions! Yes, this is the only way to transform one element into another.

The sun turns hydrogen into helium. 

Even in the center of a star the size of the sun, not all elements can form. The sun can only produce elements up to iron and the rest is supernova explosions, pulsar explosions and so on. 

But somehow all the elements in the universe were formed in order and continue to be formed.

***

Which is the last element of the periodic table? Does anyone know?

Oganesson! 

With atomic number 118, it's a very unstable element

In 2002, it was synthesized by human beings under artificial conditions in the laboratory.

Yes, I say it is only possible in the universe, but on Earth, we humans can create conditions similar to those in the universe and produce elements artificially, albeit in small amounts.

The element with the atomic number 118 that could be produced in this way was named oganesson on November 28, 2016, after the Russian scientist Yuri Oganesyan. Other artificial elements have also been made.

Oganesson is highly unstable because its half-life is less than 1 millisecond. 

In other words, it decays and disintegrates as soon as it is observed by sensors.

***

And why is this so?

To understand this, first of all, how do protons and neutrons normally stay together in the atomic nucleus? We need to understand this.

The nucleus stays together because the strong nuclear force holds them together.

What is the strong nuclear force? 

It's like Japanese glue, when you apply it to two surfaces and bring them together, they instantly stick to each other, and then you can't separate them again, but if you apply glue to those surfaces and don't bring them together, they naturally don't stick.

This is what the strong nuclear force is like. It's quite strong, but it's only effective at very close distances, it has no effect when the distance increases a little. And this distance is the size of an atomic nucleus.

By means of subatomic particles called gluons, protons and neutrons can stay together in the nucleus of an atom, even though protons have very large positive charges, thanks to this strong nuclear force.

The nuclei of the so-called unstable elements, including isotopes of these elements, are easily disintegrated by a simple neutron bombardment. 

This is because this force, which originates from glue particles called gluons (by the way, gluon is derived from the English word glue!), is insufficient in the absence of a certain balance between the positive proton charge in the nucleus and the neutrons, even if uncharged, which play a role in balancing this charge.

But if neutrons are really uncharged particles, what use are they in holding the nucleus together?

Because neutrons, like protons, are made up of quarks, and in fact the distribution of quarks in protons gives protons a positive electric charge, while the distribution of quarks in neutrons makes them uncharged, but the total balance of quarks in the nucleus is important for them to hold together.

It's like an engine running like clockwork, when there is a balanced distribution of quarks, the gluon exchange between them works properly and the atomic nucleus is thus balanced.

When this equilibrium is quite stable, we call the element stable, whereas if it is barely balanced, the atomic nucleus is unstable.

In unstable nuclei, when the equilibrium is disturbed by a simple impact, the strong nuclear force is insufficient to hold the nucleus together, and the nucleus breaks apart. 

You can easily do this with a simple neutron or proton impact; unstable nuclei are easily fragmented.

And sometimes, when there is an instability, the nucleus can also break apart on its own.

That's the case with Oganesson, the nucleus can't stay together even for a millisecond, it disintegrates immediately.

***

It's a bit complicated, but I understand.

So, wouldn't it be possible to unravel the mechanism and make a much heavier nucleus that the existing strong nuclear force could hold together for a longer period of time, that is, an element after element 118 in the periodic table?

There are actually people trying to do this. In fact, there is already something called the extended periodic table, which includes an element called Ununennium with atomic number 119.

In 2018, RIKEN (Japan's National Institute for Research and Development in Physics and Chemistry) in Japan and in 2020, the Nuclear Research Institute in Dubna, Russia, conducted studies for this purpose. American and German scientists have also made a few unsuccessful attempts. 

But no one has yet been able to synthesize successfully. 

Theoretically, it is thought that this synthesis can be done, but unfortunately, all attempts have failed in practice.

Scientists say that even element 120 seems to be synthesized in theory. Element 120 doesn't have a name yet.

Still, it's a very difficult task, requiring a lot of energy and expensive equipment.

So it also depends on financing.

***

What's the point of all this?

What's wrong with the existing 118 elements, or whatever the number of natural elements in nature is? 

Look, even element 118 was observed for less than 1 millisecond.

It is not even possible to examine what an element with such a short lifespan can do, let alone what its properties are!

You should first examine the available elements, who knows what properties they have that we don't even know about.

Then you can look at the rest if you need to!

Look, it is possible to make thousands of compounds by combining various elements, and even though they are composed of the same elements, sometimes the resulting products have different properties. 

You put carbon atoms together in such a way that they become diamonds, you put them together in such a way that they become coal, and you burn and heat them.

I think you should first deal with the existing elements, don't bother with nonsense.

After all, there is such a thing as atomic arrangement. There is something called crystal structure.

What's the point of going to all that trouble to synthesize new elements, don't you have nothing to do?

Don't invent anything now.

***

Yes, but that's science!

Their government allocated the necessary budget and they set out to produce a new element.

Maybe they think it will be useful, maybe they are doing it just to say we found it, we did it.

It's a system, some people try to find things, to discover things, regardless of what they will be useful for. 

Others are trying to make something useful by making use of the new discoveries.

Isn't this what it means to be a developed country? 

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree! 

Oh how nice.

If you sit and wait, you'll say later that it was too expensive. You can't afford to buy, you try to live in debt, if you can call it living.

You will work on your own, you will allocate your own budget, if there is no budget, you will create it!

You will raise your own scientists.

You will not let the young people you have trained slip away so easily, you will create opportunities for them to work.

You will not say that they can leave, young people are the future of this country, and only with them will this country survive.

Maybe some of them will synthesize the element with the atomic number 200, and some of them will produce something valuable by using existing elements.

Of course, this is only the part of the story about chemistry and physics.

This applies to every branch of science, even beyond science, engineering, architecture, philosophy, literature, literature, art, law... whatever you can think of.

People will freely produce whatever they want.

***

But a productive person is a thinking person, right? 

And a thinking person is a person who is difficult to rule.

Forget all this highbrow stuff, ignorance is our strongest weapon. 

Give him two packets of pasta, two bulgur wheat, and a few interesting topics to occupy his mind, and let him talk about them all day long. 

Who screwed who and how, whose hands are in whose pockets, phenomena, soccer players, even tiktok phenomena, and now some earthquake talk, let people talk.

And let us get on with our work.

Don't invent anything now!

***

What can I say, you are right too!

What about the IYI party now? 

Are they really running their own candidates in all 81 provinces?

Look, from the CHP's point of view, this cannot be done with the IYI party alone. 

The CHP needs to set the table again without wasting time.

I thought it was not an alliance, what was that new word? 

I remember, cooperation! 

I think it needs to cooperate with everyone again. 

It would even be better if Yeniden Refah or something else joined the table. 

This time, the TİP, the Hometown Party, even Ümit Özdağ and the Zafer Party should not be missing. There was the Vatan Party, the party of the bees, the ANAP, why are they missing from the table?

Oh, I forgot, why wasn't the DSP at the table? I think they should include them.

Would it be too crowded?

What difference does it make?

Where there are many, there are many...

OK, they shouldn't exaggerate then, but shouldn't they at least cooperate with the IYI Party?

Didn't Ms. Meral want it?

What did Ms. Meral say?

Did the GİK say that?

Did she ask the GİK?

What did the GİK say? What did the GIK say?

Anyway, Ms. Meral Özgür is too young, can't he work with her?

But look, he respects his sister Meral! 

Anyway, he does not fail to respect anyone, he loves to kiss hands, he has kissed the hands of who and whose hands until today!

Is Mrs. Meral upset with Ekrem?

What was she saying about Ekrem? I went all the way, but Ekrem didn't even dare to take a step, he cheated on me, he left me high and dry at the last minute?

He is right, I probably wouldn't be able to forgive him either.

Anyway, Mansur didn't have the guts either, I swore an oath, I'll be damned if I'll ever follow their lead again, whatever you do, you will do it on your own, did he say that he had already realized this fact?

And who was the one who kicked him under the table?

They say the steering wheel pulls to the right on the IYI party bus, they say the bus is approaching towards the AK Party, what about that?

***

So there is a lot to gossip about!

I think you should continue to follow the topics that are being brought up, I follow them too, for some reason I find the topics really interesting.

Let me put a bowl of beans here, you can't enjoy this news without a bowl of beans.

Love and respect to everyone from Moscow.