The element gold is used in microcircuits. It has been used to make jewelry for at least 4,000 B.C. and to treat cancer in recent decades. It is in the pot at the end of the rainbow and on the visors. Gold is an element that bridges old and new.

One of the more recognizable elements is gold. It is a good material for making tools. Gold is a transition metal. Transition metals are unique because they can bond with other elements using not just their outermost shell of electrons, but also the two shells. The large number of electrons in transition metals make it difficult to sort them into shells.

A diagram showing the atomic structure of the chemical element gold.

(Image credit: blueringmedia/Getty Images)
  • Atomic Number (number of protons in the nucleus): 79
  • Atomic Symbol (on the Periodic Table of Elements): Au
  • Atomic Weight (average mass of the atom): 196.9665
  • Density: 19.3 grams per cubic centimeter
  • Phase at Room Temperature: Solid
  • Melting Point: 1,947.7 degrees Fahrenheit (1,064.18 degrees C)
  • Boiling Point: 5,162 degrees F (2,850 degrees C)
  • Number of isotopes (atoms of the same element with a different number of neutrons): Between 18 and 59, depending on where the line for an isotope is drawn. Many artificially created gold isotopes are stable for microseconds or milliseconds before decaying into other elements. One stable isotope.
  • Most common isotopes: Au-197, which makes up 100 percent of naturally occurring gold.

How is gold formed?

Explosion in space

Gold, and other elements heavier than iron, are formed just before stars explode into supernovae. (Image credit: Getty Images)

The elements in the known universe are made of gold. The incomprehensible amount of energy needed for its formation is the reason for its rarity. According to the journal PNAS, gold is formed in stars only in those that are exploding in giant supernovas or incredibly dense ones.

Our sun is a star that uses the power of fusion to generate energy. A star may be mostly hydrogen, the smallest element. The process of fusion under immense pressure and heat in the star's core will generate helium. When hydrogen runs low and the star begins to reach the next phase of its life cycle, it will bring in the heavier elements.

The balance suddenly shifts when the element of iron is involved. According to the University of Oregon, fusing iron doesn't create energy. The star has no means of generating internal energy to counteract its own immense pressure and gravity. A supernova is a massive star explosion if the star is large enough. During this process, heavier elements are formed, including gold.

How can a star be older than the universe?

Gold throughout history

Gold can be found in the tombs of Egyptian Pharaohs, as well as in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. According to the Australian government, the Nile River was the key to the ancient Egyptian empire. Its water allowed a bounty of crops to be grown along its edge, keeping its citizens and armies well fed. There was a shiny yellow metal that ran down the river. The Egyptians took this visually appealing treasure and 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884

A Stone Age woman found outside of London wore a strand of gold around her neck, while Celts in the third century B.C. wore gold dental implants.

The mask of Tutankhamun

Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun’s Funerary mask was made of gold and has endured for thousands of years. (Image credit: Getty Images)

Through time and around the globe, gold has remained a symbol and unit of wealth. After the Egyptian pharaohs and their tombs of gold, the Aztec Empire's gold was stolen by the Conquistadors who wanted the valuable metal for their own. According to National Geographic, workers went to the Western coast of the United States to take part in the gold rush. Humans have been driven to acts of genocide by gold. Our history would be different without this metal.

The History of Aztec capital is related.

Gold has a strong role in Australian history. The population of Australia tripled in the late 19th century because so many people came to the country to take part in the gold rush. According to the Australian government, the country is still mined for metal due to its pervasive deposits. Evolution Mining found a different treasure in their hunt for gold. The miners instead unearthed sheets of stone that looked like shatter cones, which were found on the outer rim of impact craters. The team used advanced mapping techniques to confirm the finding of a meteorite crater that was more rare than a lode of gold.

What is a karat of gold?

Most gold jewelry is not made of pure gold. The amount of gold in a ring is measured on a scale. 24karat gold is pure gold. Bars of gold kept in Fort Knox are considered to be 99.95 percent pure gold.

When metals are added to gold, it becomes less fine and the number of karats decreases. 50% gold and 50% alloys are contained in 12 karat gold.

The carob seed is the source of the word karat. Scales that measured the weight of gold were used to balance seeds.

How much gold is in Fort Knox?

The Federal Bullion Depository at Fort Knox in Kentucky holds part of the U.S. reserve of gold.

The Federal Bullion Depository at Fort Knox in Kentucky holds part of the U.S. reserve of gold. (Image credit: Bettmann/Getty Images)

The United States Bullion Depository was opened in Kentucky in 1937 to keep up with the country's gold reserves. The first shipment of gold arrived in trains surrounded by military troops.

There are walls of concrete framed by steel. There was a dirty rumor in the 70s that the gold in Fort Knox was gone. The director of the United States Mint gave congress people and journalists a tour of the vault and its stacks of gold.

According to the U.S. Mint, the depository holds about half of the Treasury's gold. The US Department of Treasury says each bar weighs about 27 pounds. A troy ounce is about 1.1 ounces. The entire stockpile is worth about $130 billion at current prices. The United States Mint reported that Fort Knox had a record amount of gold on December 31, 1941.

Other important artifacts have been seen in the insides of Fort Knox. During WWII, the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights were sealed inside and returned to Washington, D.C., for protection.

What is fool's gold?

Pyrite, the inferior mineral, only mimics gold in looks. Pyrite is more brittle than gold. It looks black when crushed into a powder. Pyrite has sulfur and iron. It was mined during World War II to make sulfuric acid. It is used in a lot of things.

It is often found near sources of real gold and copper. The miner who stops digging when they have a piece of pyrite is the real one.

Fun facts about gold

  • Two-thirds of the world's gold is mined in South Africa, according to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
  • Seventy-eight percent of the world's yearly supply of gold is used in jewelry, according to the AMNH. The rest goes to electronics and dental and medical uses.
  • The atomic symbol of gold, Au, comes from the Latin word for gold, aurum.
  • Astronaut helmets were equipped with a visor coated with a thin layer of gold. The gold blocks harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun.
  • The world's largest gold crystal is the size of a golf ball and comes from Venezuela. The 7.7-ounce (217.78 grams) crystal is worth about $1.5 million.
  • Earthquakes can create gold: A 2013 study in the journal Nature Geoscience found that during earthquakes, water in faults and fractures vaporizes, leaving gold behind.
  • The first purely gold coins were manufactured in the Asia Minor kingdom of Lydia in 560 B.C., according to the National Mining Association.
  • Gold has a number of artificial, unstable isotopes (the exact number depends on the scientist you consult), but occurs naturally only as Au-197.
  • You can eat gold … if you really want to. Gourmet shops sell edible gold leaf and flakes that add glitter to everything from pastries to vodka to olive oil. Don't fear for your stomach: The gold isn't digested and just passes right through, according to Edible Gold, a company that sells gold leaf.

How is gold used?

Medicine uses gold. The Au-198 can be injected directly into the site of a tumor, where it can destroy the tumors without affecting the rest of the body. In 2012 researchers reported in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that they were able to link a compound found in tea leaves to the treatment of cancer. The tea compound attracts the tumors and keeps the nanoparticles in the right spot for several weeks while the radiation treatment takes place. The method has not been tested on humans.

Gold nanoparticles are the only way a drug can work. The anti-cancer drug is very effective. It is toxic to healthy cells. According to Benchmarks, an online publication of the National Cancer Institute, clinical trials have shown that drugs that hit their targets directly can successfully treat tumors.

There is one problem with the love affair with gold, and that is getting it out of the ground. A researcher at the University of Illinois said that about 83% of the gold that is mined each year is taken out using a process called gold cyanidation. The gold is removed from the rock by using cyanide. The process of cyanide is toxic and it is not green.

Lovers of gold baubles and electronic circuits could have hope. In the journal Nature Communications, a group of people reported that they had found a way to extract gold from the waste of a gold mine.

"Actually, we found this method by accident", said Liu. The researchers mixed alpha-Cyclodextrin with gold salts to make a porous material. The gold came out of the solution quickly.

The method that the team has patented can easily extract gold at more than 98% purity in one step. They are working with investors to scale up the process.

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