The Modern Alchemist's Get-Rich-Quick Scheme

This meme is pure atomic comedy gold! It's showcasing the most ridiculous "get rich quick" scheme in chemistry history. The plan? Buy mercury, remove one proton from each atom, and *poof* - you've transmuted it into gold!

Here's why it's hilariously impossible: Mercury (atomic number 80) does indeed become gold (atomic number 79) if you remove exactly one proton per atom. But casually plucking protons from nuclei with plastic tweezers? That would require nuclear fusion/fission equipment worth billions, not to mention enough radiation to turn you into a walking nightlight!

Medieval alchemists spent centuries trying to turn lead into gold and failed spectacularly. This meme is basically saying "Just remove a subatomic particle! What could go wrong?" Everything. Everything would go wrong. But hey, at least you'd have shiny mercury to admire your face in before the inevitable nuclear catastrophe!