WHAT IS GOLD?

What's in a name?

From the Sanskrit word Jval and the Anglo-Saxon word gold. Gold's chemical symbol comes from the latin word for gold, aurum.

HISTORY of GOLD

An attractive and highly valued metal, gold has been known for at least 5500 years. Gold is sometimes found free in nature but it is usually found in conjunction with silver, quartz (SiO₂), calcite (CaCO₃), lead, tellurium, zinc or copper. There is roughly 1 milligram of gold dissolved in every ton of seawater, although extracting it currently costs more than the gold is worth. It has been estimated that all of the gold that has currently been refined could be placed in a cube measuring 20 meters on a side

Natural form of GOLD

Pure gold is soft and is usually alloyed with other metals, such as silver, copper, platinum or palladium, to increase its strength. Gold alloys are used to make jewelry, decorative items, dental fillings and coins. The amount of gold in an alloy is measured with a unit called a carat. One carat is equal to one part in twenty-four, so an 18 carat gold ring contains 18 parts pure gold and 6 parts alloy material

Element

Atomic Number: 79

Atomic Weight: 196.96655

Melting Point: 1337.33 K

Boiling Point: 3129 K

Density: 19.282 grams per cubic centimeter

Phase at Room Temperature: Solid.

Molecular Structure

Number of Energy Levels: 6

First Energy Level: 2
Second Energy Level: 8
Third Energy Level: 18
Fourth Energy Level: 32
Fifth Energy Level: 18
Sixth Energy Level: 1

MINERALS

Gold was dated back to very early times, and has been a valuable asset ever since. Gold is found free in nature and is widely distributed and is almost always associated with quartz or pyrite. It is almost always found by using the panning techniques. Nearly two thirds of the world's output of Gold comes from Africa, and about two thirds of the U.S. output of Gold comes from South Dakota. Recovering Gold from sea water has not been a profitable venture for anybody.

Metals

This indestructible metal is completely recyclable and virtually immune to the effects of air, water, and oxygen. Gold will not tarnish, rust, or corrode. This unique combination of properties makes gold a vital component in many medical, industrial, and electrical applications.

RESISTANCE TO CORROSION

Gold is the most non-reactive of all metals. It is benign in all natural and industrial environments. Gold never reacts with oxygen (one of the most active elements), which means it will not rust or tarnish. The gold death-mask in the tomb of Tutankhamun looked as brilliant when it was unearthed in 1922 as when it was entombed in 1352 BC.

ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY

Gold is among the most electrically conductive of all metals. Since electricity is essentially the flow of charged particles in a current, metals that are conductive allow this current to flow unimpeded. Gold is able to convey even a tiny electrical current in temperatures varying from -55° to +200° centigrade. This makes gold a vital component for electrical connectors in computers and telecommunications equipment.

DUCTILITY AND MALLEABILITY
Gold is the most ductile of all metals, allowing it to be drawn out into tiny wires or threads without breaking. As a result, a single ounce of gold can be drawn into a wire five miles long. Gold's malleability is also unparalleled. It can be shaped or extended into extraordinarily thin sheets. For example, one ounce of gold can be hammered into a 100 square-foot sheet.

INFRARED (HEAT) REFLECTIVITY

Gold is the most reflective and least absorptive material of infrared (or heat) energy. High purity gold reflects up to 99% of infrared rays. This makes gold ideal for heat and radiation reflection, as in life-saving face shields for astronauts and firefighters.

THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY

Gold is also an excellent conductor of thermal energy or heat. Since many electronic processes create heat, gold is necessary to transfer heat away from delicate instruments. For example, a 35% gold alloy is used in the main engine nozzle of the Space Shuttle, where temperatures can reach 3300° centigrade. Gold alloy is the most tenacious and long-performing material available for protection at these temperatures.

Rocks and Ore

Pieces of ore rarely contain visible particles of gold. Only a tiny amount of gold is milled from a large quantity of ore. About 3 million pounds of ore must be processed to make one brick of gold, which will weigh approximately 26 pounds.

USES OF GOLD

Gold has been prized by people since the earliest times for making statues and icons and also for jewelry to adorn their bodies. Intricately sculptured art objects and adornment jewelry have been uncovered in the Sumerian royal Tombs in southern Iraq and the tombs of Egyptian kings. Significant buildings and religious temples and statues have been covered with thinly beaten sheets of gold. Due to its rarity, gold has long been considered a symbol of the wealth and power of its possessor.

OTHER COOL INFO

Estimated Crustal Abundance: 4 x 10^-3milligrams per kilogram

Estimated Oceanic Abundance: 4 x 10^-6milligrams per liter

Ionization Energy: 9.226 eV

Oxidation States: +3, +1

Electron Shell Configuration: 1s²

2s² 2p⁶

3s² 3p⁶ 3d¹⁰

4s² 4p⁶ 4d¹⁰ 4f¹⁴

5s²5p⁶5d¹⁰

6s¹

WHERE WE FOUND ALL THIS COOL INFO ON GOLD?

http://www.chemicalelements.com/elements/au.html#links

http://www.tamuk.edu/chemistry/WebElements/gold_element.htm

http://www.goldinstitute.org/facts/#RESISTANCE

http://www.goldinstitute.org/facts/

http://www.therockshop.ie/rocks_and_gems.htm

http://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele079.html