Physicists at CERN have successfully turned lead into gold during high-speed collisions of lead nuclei in the Large Hadron Collider.

The transformation, which briefly removes three protons from lead atoms to create gold, occurs in extremely rare instances and in minuscule, short-lived amounts—far too little for any practical use.

The discovery, part of the ongoing “Alice” experiment since 2015, is detailed in Physical Review Journals, Swiss Info.com has reported.

CERN emphasized that while the medieval dream of alchemy is technically achieved, it won’t lead to wealth.

Written by B.C. Begley