Gold

Gold is a soft metal with a characteristic yellow colour. It is the most malleable and ductile of any element. It is unaffected by air, water, alkalis and acids, with the exception of "aqua regia", HNO₃/HCl. The fact that it is chemically unreactive means that it is often found in its natural state. It is a good thermal and electrical conductor and has excellent reflective properties to both light and infrared. Most of the metal is retained for use as bullion reserves, but some is used within the electronics and jewellery industries, where it is frequently alloyed with other elements to improve the mechanical properties of the metal (e.g. copper and silver). Other uses for the metal are as a heat reflecting coating for glass as well as as a decorative medium. Aurum is Latin for gold, hence the symbol Au.

Symbol

Au

Discovered

Known since prehistoric times.

Abundance

0.0011 ppm of the Earth's crust.

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Atomic number	79		Clip
Atomic / Molecular Weight	196.9665	gmol-1	Clip
Density	19281	kgm-3	Clip
Crystal Structure	fcc		Clip
Lattice constant	408	fm	Clip
Melting Point	1337.59	K	Clip
Boiling Point	3123	K	Clip
Tensile strength	120000000	Nm-2	Clip
Youngs modulus	71000000000	Nm-2	Clip
Poissons ratio	0.44		Clip
Linear expansivity	0.0000142	K-1	Clip
Specific heat capacity	130	Jkg-1K-1	Clip
Thermal conductivity	296 to 319	Wm-1K-1	Clip
Bulk Modulus of Rigidity	217000000000	Nm-2	Clip
Electromotive Series	-1.42	V	Clip

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See also: Aqua Regia, Carat Gold, Crown Gold, Iron II Sulphide, Periodic Table, Touchstone, White Gold.