79 Au Gold
Transition metal, mass: 196.97 u, 1 stable isotope (197), abundance rank (earth/space): 76/69Click image to magnify. Ultrapure gold leaves. The leaves are 0.5 - 1 cm long.
Gold is a very rare and inert element and therefore is used since ages for jewellery and investment. It is the most malleable and ductile pure metal, so you need only very small amounts to give another material a gold plated surface. In jewellery, the very soft metal mostly is mixed with other metals like copper, to make it harder. Gold naturally only occurs in small amounts, so for its exploitation often large areas of nature are destroyed.

Left: Gold crystal, pure gold, 0.7 cm.
Right: Celtic gold coin of the Iceni, from about the year 40 BCE. Probably high copper ratio, front and back side, 1.1 cm in size, 1 gram weight.

Gold connector of an USB plug. This is a very thin layer of gold. Gold is a good electrical conductor, protects from oxidation and gives an impression of high quality.
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Page last changed on January 02. 2011
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