They're only crackpot until they're proven. LBNL turned bismuth to gold in 1980[0], but it required a particle accelerator and more energy than could have been

They're only crackpot until they're proven. LBNL turned bismuth to gold in 1980[0], but it required a particle accelerator and more energy than could have been fathomed in Newton's day. The yield wasn't great and cost about 10 orders of magnitude more than the price of gold at the time, but it was done (theoretically), and by a Nobel prize winner, even! 0 - https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fact-or-fiction-lead-can-be-turned-into-gold/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fact-or-fiction-l...