“Gold will be made through Fusion now!”: A startup says, it is now possible to convert Mercury into Gold – Science fiction has become reality!
A Silicon Valley startup is saying that it has transformed ancient alchemy into science – it has found the formula to convert Mercury into Gold!
People from thousands of years, be it ancient Egyptians or great scientists like Isaac Newton, have been chasing the same dream – to convert base metals like lead or mercury into gold. Now, a new Silicon Valley company Marathon Fusion says that they have shown it can be done – and that too by using nuclear fusion technology!
Fusion + Alchemy = Reality
Marathon Fusion says their method is absolutely new and revolutionary. They convert an isotope of mercury, Mercury-198, into gold through high-energy neutron bombardment. When helium is created by combining deuterium and tritium (two hydrogen isotopes) in the fusion process, neutrons are released. These neutrons can be used to convert mercury atoms into gold.
They say, “This approach is economically irresistible, practically feasible, and massively scalable.” That means it’s not just confined to the lab—it could be implemented on an industrial scale.
How does this process work?
- Fusion Reaction:
When deuterium and tritium are heated to a temperature above 100 million °C, they collide to form helium.
In this reaction, high-energy neutrons are released.
- Neutron Bombardment:
These neutrons hit the Mercury-198 isotope.
This turns into Mercury-197, which is unstable.
- Magic of making gold:
Mercury-197 converts into Gold-197 in a few days, which is stable and valuable gold.
Is it safe?
Marathon Fusion has also clarified that gold is stable, but some radioactive isotopes can also be generated in the reaction process. They say that if this happens, they will have to be kept in secure storage for 18 years, until they are safe.
1 Gigawatt = 5,000 Kg Gold Per Year!
The company estimates that if a fusion power plant works with a capacity of 1 GW, it can produce up to 5,000 kg of gold every year. And while generating this gold, there will be no impact on the power output or fuel cycle.
That means a fusion plant will produce gold along with electricity – double dhamaka!
Not just gold – Palladium, Nuclear Batteries and Medicines too
Marathon Fusion said that their technology is not limited to just making gold. Its use:
materials for nuclear batteries
Medical isotope production
It can also be used to make precious metals like Palladium.
Who are the founders?
There are two minds behind this futuristic project:
Adam Rutkowski – formerly an engineer at SpaceX.
Kyle Schiller – Schmidt Futures fellow (research initiative of Eric Schmidt).
Marathon Fusion has also received a lot of support for funding:
Strong Atomics
1517 Fund
US Department of Energy
Breakthrough Energy Fellows Program (Bill Gates’ initiative)
Reaction of Scientific Community
Although peer-review is still pending, the scientific community has already shown interest in this idea. A senior scientist said:
“This new technology approach that Marathon Fusion is developing changes fundamentally how we should think about fusion as an energy source.”
That is, till now we were looking at fusion only for power generation, but if this technology is proven right, then fusion can also bring a rain of gold!
Is this really the beginning of the Golden Age?
Marathon Fusion has made big claims — a metal like gold, which has historically been a symbol of wealth and power, will now become a side-product of a power plant.
If their model is successful, not only will the economics of fusion energy change, but the global market of gold can also be impacted. Now in future, perhaps the price of gold will also be linked to the price of electricity!
So, are you ready for a new “Golden Age”?
Science fiction has become reality — and this is just the beginning.