Thailand turns pearl into gold by synchrotron light

[webfact]

Thailand turns pearl into gold by synchrotron light



BANGKOK, 2 March 2016 (NNT) - Dr. Nirawat Thammajakr, a researcher from the Synchrotron Light Research Institute or SLRI has been awarded for the invention of golden-color pearls, using synchrotron radiation technology.

So what is synchrotron light and how can it turn a pearl into gold?

The term ''synchrotron light'' may sound somewhat too academic and remote from the people's daily life. However, most people would know this radiation very well from their most famous application, the X-Ray. Synchrotron X-Ray is radiation projection, using a particle accelerator in place of a conventional X-Ray tube.

Compare to the conventional X-Ray, the synchrotron light is much brighter, with hundreds of thousands of times more intense than that from typical x-ray tubes and highly collimated. As such it can penetrate much deeper into the object and can be even used to gain information about the material’s composition, including the type and location of individual atoms within it.

This property is one of the key aspects that SLRI’s researcher used to give the typical fresh-water pearl its brilliant gold color.

The synchrotron light is used primarily in X-Ray absorption spectroscopy technique employed by SLRI’s 8th beam line to analyze the compound and atom structure which determine the color of the pearl which existed in very small quantity.

The SLRI is committed to the study of synchrotron light technology; the manipulation of color element to produce the accurate and desirable color jewelry is one of the many useful applications of this advanced X-ray and proves that the research into this field is still relevant and highly useful today.


-- NNT 2016-03-02

[leeneeds]

Well now we have gold fresh water pearls , are they now going to inflate the prices to try and get to the level of salt water grown ones, ?

out of all the good things from using synchroton light ,being able to study how to make the best chocolate which Cadbury have and are putting their money behind , For me if i get a better chocolate bar it will beat a gold pearl any day ,

[thesetat2013]

Is everything click bait for you or did you just learn that term because I saw it in another reply in a different article here today? It seems more likely they are not changing the color and instead are using radiation to burn the white. I suspect the time under the radiation would determine the final color.

Edited March 2, 2016 by Tywais
Edited removed quote

[SOTIRIOS]

...inert or not....???

[Lupatria]

In a rather undeveloped country, why is Dr. Nirawat Thammajakr the “scientist” not researching on something useful, instead trying to be an alchemist for the fashion industry?

Edited March 2, 2016 by Lupatria

[klauskunkel]

There are some fake gold pearls in Pat Pong market already, apparently they just got a paint job...simple, really.

[Tywais]

Major cleanup completed, off topic posts removed.

[Hawk]

Thailand turns pearl into gold by synchrotron light"

Nonsense! He simply changed the colour of the pearl. The colour can also be changed by using a colour dye, just like jade is often artifically colour enhanced by using dyes. Semi precious and precious stones have been irradiated for years to enhance their colours, this radiation technology has been used by the jewellery trade for a long time now.

Edited March 2, 2016 by Hawk

[condo bought]

Would be more impressive if he turned it into somtam.

[phrisco17]

I live in Thailand and can change warm water to ice water by adding ice!!!! It doesn't have much staying power though!!!!

[skildpadden]

No sir, you didn't turn it into gold. You merely changed the color by radiation.

The SLRI is committed to the study of synchrotron light technology; the manipulation of color element to produce the accurate and desirable color jewelry is one of the many useful applications of this advanced X-ray and proves that the research into this field is still relevant and highly useful today. - ummmm I could come up with a couple of other scientific subjects that would be more relevant and useful when using synchrotron radiation technology e.g. life science, actinide research, environmental research, structural biology, medicine, etc. than changing the color of a pearl.

[GAZZPA]

Brilliant, for all the useful applications it's typical that Thailand find a way of increasing the price of their pearls.

[Khon Kaen Dave]

The Thaimidas touch?

[DrTuner]

Now go sell it to hapless tourists as pure gold.

[jaywalker]

There are some fake gold pearls in Pat Pong market already, apparently they just got a paint job...simple, really.

Those were ping pong balls.

Lucky you didn't lose an eye. They really should issue safety glasses at the door of some places....so I've heard.

[klauskunkel]

There are some fake gold pearls in Pat Pong market already, apparently they just got a paint job...simple, really.

Those were ping pong balls.

Lucky you didn't lose an eye. They really should issue safety glasses at the door of some places....so I've heard.

the King Kong of Ping Pong strikes again, everybody dodge now!

[bangon04]

Looks like the cure for HIV, Ebola, Dengue, Zika, and all the other Nobel prizes will have to be put on the back burner for a while......

Edited March 2, 2016 by bangon04

[redbarron]

Thailand turns pearl into gold by synchrotron light"

Nonsense! He simply changed the colour of the pearl. The colour can also be changed by using a colour dye, just like jade is often artifically colour enhanced by using dyes. Semi precious and precious stones have been irradiated for years to enhance their colours, this radiation technology has been used by the jewellery trade for a long time now.

The Thai jewelry trade has been using accelerators in the 20MeV range. This one is 1.2Gev. Big difference even though it is just "irradiating".

[Scott]

//CLOSED//