A STARTUP HAS FOUND A WAY TO TURN MERCURY INTO GOLD
A startup has figured out how to turn mercury into gold: what is known
The scientific community remains skeptical, as the researchers have not published a detailed report.
Marathon Fusion, a San Francisco-based American startup, claims to have developed a method for converting mercury into stable gold using neutrons produced during nuclear fusion. According to WION , the claimed metal production rate is purportedly ten times faster than the figure achieved by scientists at the European research center CERN in 2025.
The technology is based on nuclear transmutation—a process that alters the nucleus of an atom, resulting in the formation of another chemical element or its isotope. Unlike conventional chemical reactions, this method involves directly altering the atomic nucleus.
According to the technology description, high-energy neutrons produced by the deuterium-tritium fusion reaction are designed to convert mercury-198 into the unstable isotope mercury-197. This isotope then undergoes electron capture and decays to form gold-197, the only stable isotope of gold.
Earlier, in May 2025, CERN researchers reported the formation of gold nuclei from the collision of lead nuclei at the Large Hadron Collider. According to estimates from the ALICE experiment, four major experiments between 2015 and 2018 produced approximately 86 billion gold nuclei, with a combined mass of approximately 29 pictograms. However, these nuclei lasted only a moment before decaying.
Marathon Fusion proposes a different approach: instead of colliding lead nuclei, use neutrons produced through nuclear fusion to potentially increase gold production.
At the same time, as WION notes, it was not possible to independently confirm the startup’s latest statement based on available data. The company also has not disclosed the amount of gold produced during the experiment and has not yet demonstrated a commercially viable method for producing it.
The startup is reportedly considering using its technology to produce medical isotopes used in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
