Accidental Lab Discovery Reveals Gold’s Secret Chemistry

Accidental lab discovery reveals gold’s secret chemistry

Scientists at SLAC unexpectedly created gold hydride, a compound of gold and hydrogen, while studying diamond formation under extreme pressure and heat. This discovery challenges gold’s reputation as a chemically unreactive metal and opens doors to studying dense hydrogen, which could help us understand planetary interiors and fusion processes. The results also suggest that extreme conditions can produce exotic, previously unknown compounds, offe

Scientists accidentally create gold hydride in extreme experiment

For the first time, scientists have made a solid compound of gold and hydrogen, known as gold hydride—completely by accident. An international research team led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory discovered the exotic material while running a very different experiment. The researchers were originally studying how hydrocarbons—compounds made of carbon […] The post Scientists accidentally create gold hydride in…