The Anglo-Saxon word, gold, derives from its Latin name, Aurum, giving itself the atomic symbol Au. Gold’s atomic number is 79, which means that gold has 79 protons in its nucleus, 79 electrons in orbit, and also has 118 neutrons in the nucleus. This makes Gold’s atomic mass 196.97 atomic mass units, or the average number of isotopes, which is almost equivalent to the number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus. In terms of its physical properties, gold is a soft metal which is both malleable and ductile, or in other words the metal can be hammered, flattened, and crafted into different shapes or structures. When in a mass, a gold leaf is translucent and is a yellowish, orange color and it can often have a shine or glow. Although gold has many great qualities, it is a heavy metal and with its weight comes a great density. Gold has a density of 19.3 grams per cubic centimeter, and if you take a compressed gram, which is very thin, it will still stay 230 atoms thick. Gold has a variety of chemical properties as well. Gold has a melting point of 1,065 degrees celsius (1,978 degrees fahrenheit), and a boiling point of 2,000 degrees celsius (4,892 degrees fahrenheit). As a metal gold is a great electric conductor, even better than iron, due to the way the electrons are able to move freely because of their structure. Gold is a transition metal, meaning it can be found towards the center of the periodic table. Specifically, it is group eleven of the periodic table, which consists of copper ( symbol Cu), silver (symbol Ag), and finally gold (symbol Au). As Gold is a transition metal meaning its valence electrons may vary, but it usually tends to have one or three.
The Anglo-Saxon word, gold, or element number 79 on the periodic table, has been found in paleolithic caves in Spain, dating as far back as 40,000 BCE. Gold does not have one single person that discovered the element, however, overtime humans have made a variety of large scale interactions or “discoveries” of the element. Humans first interaction with gold was in 3,000 BCE when the Ancient Egyptians had a strong desire for gold, due to it not corroding, as having an abundance and variety of resources represented a nation of power. In fact, gold was seen as the only worthy metal to be used in a Pharaoh’s mask. Asia Minor, The Greek Empire, and The Roman Empire all used gold in statues, monuments, currencies, jewelry, artwork, and architecture. The California Gold Rush initiated when a shiny nugget of gold caught a man’s eye, this took place in Sutter’s Mill in Coloma, California on January 24, 1848. This man was James W. Marshall. He was a saw mill operator and American carpenter at the time of the Gold Rush. Marshall lived a fairly long life for the time in which he lived. He was born in Hopewell Township, New jersey on October 8, 1810, and passed away at the age of seventy-five in Kelsey, California on August 10, 1885. In America the Mexican-American War had just been ended by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. James worked as a carpenter on John Sutter’s Sacramento River settlement. As the population was growing, and so was the American territory, many people were looking to settles in the western side of the nation. Once the news had spilled that gold had been discovered in California, only days later did thousands of new miners extract several hundred thousand pounds of gold. The sad truth is that once the first wave of miners and their families settled, there was not much gold left, and for those who found an abundance very few actually became wealthy. Unfortunately, this left many miners in the financial state as before, poor, and now having to find ways to settle and afford living in a new area. However, on a more positive note, some people with the intent to become rich off of gold actually found ways to profit ,but this was not due to the pretty metal. In some cases, people actually benefited off of creating bakeries. These bakers struck gold, in the sense that the thousands of miners needed access to basic needs, such as eating and drinking water. Although gold has had multiple discoveries, due to the dates or places, it has been influential on ancient societies and played a big role in a major United States historical event.
Gold is applied in many products or devices many people do not know or understand why the element is used. The most commonly known use of Gold is its frequent use in jewelry. Gold is so popular in jewelry not just because of its vibrant, beautiful appearance, but because it is not as prone to rusting or tarnishing, because of the air, as the elements iron (symbol Fe) and copper (symbol Cu). Gold was used as a currency in the Ancient Egyptian and Greek Empires, and typically took the form of coins, however, it was rare for non-wealthy people to have a large amount or even a slight amount of access to the metal. What many people do not know, is that small amounts of gold can be found in electronic products, such as computers and phones. This is made possible by gold’s chemical and physical properties. Its malleability and boiling and melting point makes it able to be used in smaller masses and products. For example it is used in joints, switches, and the connection of wires or strips. Gold is almost immune to corrosion, unlike certain metals, and it is a great conductor of electrons and heat making it quite efficient. Gold is also applied in dentistry. Gold alloys have become a favorite option for fillings, crowns, and bridges, due to its appearance and flexibility or rather versatility. Gold also can have a huge benefit to certain medicines. Gold’s smaller radioactive isotopes can be applied to tissue,s which can have an affect on a variety of treatments of cancers. It is also used as a drug for a small amount of medicines, which are usually applied in injections. For example, these medicines can help with arthritis. Gold also serves a major role in aerospace. NASA expends, sometimes billions of dollars, on their vehicles. Since, a lot of money is already being spent, and there is no chance of repair while in space, it is best to use great materials. Gold’s role now comes in here as it is a great conductor and connector. A more simple application of Gold is its use in medal or awards. Take the Olympics, an event millions of people around the world watch, the athlete’s first place medals are made out of gold. This is actually very interesting because the Olympics developed in Ancient Greece, where gold was highly praised, so it somewhat carried on its legacy of portraying the best of the best. Although gold is used in many everyday items, it is quite pricey. It costs 39.63 United States Dollars per gram and 1232.95 United States Dollar per ounce. Gols itself does not have a negative impact on the environment, but the industry or way in which it is produced does. Mining causes erosion, lack of biodiversity, mass destruction of landscapes or environments, and chemicals used in production can spoil the air or soil in the surrounding environment. The top ten producers of gold annually, follows from greatest producers to lowest producer, China, Russia, Australia, Canada, United States, Canada, Peru, Indonesia, South Africa, Mexico, and Ghana. Africa has many more countries further down on the list, and in fact the richest gold mine ever is in Johannesburg, South Africa. Gold is formed by the collision of stars and then produced through the mining industries, mainly in the countries I have already listed. With mass rates of production we will begin to run low on this metal much like any other resource. The largest pools of gold are found in the oceans, but it is still extremely hard to extract gold from seawater.
In conclusion, gold has a variety of great chemical and physical properties which are beneficial to many devices, items, and nation’s economic status. These qualities make this flexible, beautiful metal not only attractive, but it gives it this tremendous ability to be applied in a variety of these devices and items.