How old is the Earth?

[TheDarkestOfAngels]

We are talking about different things. Of course radioactive isotopes can react chemically just like their nonradioactive isotopes. Different Isotopes shares the same electron configuration, so are chemically very similar. What I meant is chemical reactions can not alter the weight and charge of the nucleus, which determines the radioactivity of the isotope. So no chemistry can change rate of radioactive decay.

Chemistry can in some cases mobilize either parent or daughter elements. But that's different from changing the rate of decay. Furthermore we know chemistry well enough to exclude this possibility from most radioactive dating. If an volcano boils away daughter elements, it would tend to make the mineral look younger than it is. So it would be All the more embarrassing if the erroneous young age thus derived still exceeds 6000 years by a large margin.

Oh. I see where I was mistaken and this is certainly much more serious a matter.
The only way to change the nucleus of an atom in this fashion at a speed different than radioactive decay would have to involve nuclear fusion or nuclear fission - both of which would either require or generate far more power than is available outside of reactor, a particle accelerator, or the heart of the sun. All of these options would melt the earth.

Even the biggest stars in the universe don't generate uranium until it goes supernova or it hypernovas.