Gold is a precious metal. Having the symbol Au which is obtained from the Latin word Aurum which means “shining or glowing dawn”, it can be classified as one of the group’s eleven elements. In Chemistry, Gold has an atomic mass of 196.967 in addition to seventy-nine atomic numbers, therefore, making it one of the most significant elements that happen as a matter of course. The origin of one of the multifarious valuable metals in the world – gold is dated as far back as three thousand four hundred BCE by the Egyptians.
WHAT ARE THE PROPERTIES OF GOLD?
For millennia, the high-priced and treasured metal has been one of the numerous elements humans have used. It has many well-defined properties that distinguish it from all other metals. These properties are also the basis of the long-term employment of this valuable metal by humanity. These properties consist of the following:
- Gold is bright, shiny, captivating, and glamorous. It is alluring as well as beautiful to behold.
- It is a fine conductor of electricity and heat. Other metals like silver and copper are good conductors of heat and electricity; however, among the two, none can outlive gold. Gold does not necessarily last longer than the two mentioned above; it just endures conductive over a long period.
- Gold is malleable; this means that it can be beaten and flattened until it forms thin sheets, also referred to as gold. It is soft and can be beaten to the point where it can almost be invisible. For instance, an ounce of gold beaten to pencil-thin sheets may be abundant in quantity to shroud the outer part of a space measuring 96.9 square feet(9 square meters)
- Gold is the most ductile metal on the surface of the earth. Two ounces of gold can be drawn, lengthened as well as straightened to produce a wire which may be four thousand kilometers long.
- It is a metal usually discovered in its native and pure form.
- Gold is easy to melt and can be hammered into several ornamental pieces such as necklaces, bracelets, anklets, brooches, rings, earrings, and the like.
- Gold is one of the densest metals on the earth’s surface, the seventh to be precise.
- Gold is a noble metal. A noble metal is an alchemical word that describes metals that do not erode, tarnish, or rust.
WHY IS GOLD SO POPULAR?
For the whole of history, precious metal has been dramatically in-demand. From prehistoric times to date, it has not lost its value or relevance; instead, it is still one of the most desired metals on the earth due to its manifold utility in different works of life. Gold has various, as well as numerous assets- a few which are not only peculiar and distinctive but also exclusive to the valuable metal, making it significant and key. Gold is not greatly prized and highly esteemed because of its innate alluring attractiveness and charm only but also because of its usefulness in addition to its vitality in several disciplines. Generally, gold has been utilized in the making of jewelry, bullion bars, and coins; however, in this day and age, it is being employed in diverse unorthodox styles.
Gold is primarily used in jewelry making. The making of jewelry using gold has been in existence for over six thousand years. The burial mask of a well-renowned Egyptian Pharaoh- Tutankhamun, was produced from gold. Over seventy percent of the total gold mined annually is used to make jewelry of all sorts and shapes; this is quite simple due to the properties mentioned above that the gold metal possesses. Although jewelry remains the most convenient method through which gold gets into the hands of consumers, it is not the only use of gold. Gold is likewise used in the financial sector. It is a financial asset used for transactions and has served as an emblem of riches. Since then, and as of now, gold remains the most fashionable valued metal used for investments. Gold bars, coins, and bullion are popular ways to invest in gold. This is because the value of gold does not tend to drop with age.
IS GOLD ONLY USED IN JEWELRY?
Contrary to popular opinion, gold is not used only in the making process of jewelry; it is also used in medicine, including dentistry. As far back as seven hundred BC, gold was utilized in dentistry. Essentially, it is appropriate for orthodontic instruments and apparatus, fillings for cavities, crowns, and bridges because its make-up is not allergenic, it is not difficult to insert, plus it is chemically inactive, and will not harm the individual. White gold is used in dentistry. While in medicine, gold-198 is used in treating cancer. It is also used in salt or radioisotope form, and that can be ingested via injection or oral method to ease the ache and relieve the patient in inevitable circumstances, including acute rheumatoid arthritis along with tuberculosis.
Gold is used in the production of energy-saving glass for multi-story edifices.
Due to its unique and unrivaled glamour, gold is used to produce the bulk of notable articles such as wedding rings, Oscars, and Olympic medals.
Gold is employed in producing most of our electronic appliances today, such as our televisions, calculators, mobile phones, and global positioning system (GPS) units. It is often also detected in laptops and desktops because of its unswerving and infallible conductor, which can expedite digital information at a prodigious rate. It does not erode or rust, can be relied upon, and is a good conductor and connector; therefore, it is superb for making circuits.
Additionally, gold is used in aerospace to lubricate different mechanical parts, to convey and transmit electricity in circuits, and to plate as well as encrust the interiors of spacecraft to ensure the safety of people internally from heat and infrared emission.
While metallic gold has neither odor nor taste, elemental gold, on the other hand, is utilized from time to time as a food additive.