Gold+(Au)

=GOLD (Au) = //​Aurum// //​("shining dawn") media type="youtube" key="4cXTiZGZ_Ik" height="344" width="425" ​Name: Gold Symbol: Au Type: Transition Metal Protons: 79 // Electrons: 79 Neurons: 118 Atomic number: 79  Atomic volume: 10.2cm3 /mol Atomic mass: 197 amu Discovered: Around 3000 BC Melting point: 1064°c Boiling point: 2807°c Density: 19.32 g/cm3 Atomic configuration: media type="youtube" key="3OoLHe-4aNA" height="344" width="425" Gold is one of the most valuable elements on earth. Its current price is around $35,000 USD per kilogram. Its atomic number is 79 and it is a soft and malliable element. Mostly used as coinage or jewelry, gold is widely known as a valuable and/or prized material. It is commonly used for making gold rings and other types of jewelry. A single gram of gold can be beaten into a sheet measuring one square meter, or a kilogram into a sheet measuring one square kilometer. The colour of pure gold is metallic yellow, however other elements can be mixed into it to give it other colours. For example if you add nickel, silver or palladium you will get white gold; or if you add copper and silver you will get rose gold. Other, more unusual colours can be made by mixing other elements.

Gold can be used in food. Gold Leaf, flake or dust is used on and in some gourmet foods, usually sweets, cakes and drinks as a decorative ingredient. It can also be used as an ingredient or topping in several expensive cocktails (≈$1000).

Gold is mostly found in huge mines at the surface. It is one of the most mined metals in the world. Since the 1880s, South Africa has been a significant source for a large amount of the world’s gold supply, with around 50% of all gold ever produced having come from South Africa. "In all of history, only 161,000 tons of gold have been mined, barely enough to fill two Olympic-size swimming pools." (National Geographic Magazine)

Alchemy, the ancient study of turning lead or other invaluable metals into gold, was heavily practiced by ancient scientists, also known as alchemists, but was shunned and disbelieved by later scientists. However, alchemy has now been proved possible by changing the atomic configuration of the metal. Unfortunately this process is extremely costly and time-consuming because the easiest metal to change into gold is platinum which is worth more!

Gold has been used by artists to make items for millennia. Famous items made from gold include the gold mask of Tutankhanum or the death mask of Mycenae. See photos below. References: Wikipedia.com, chemicool.com, webelements.com, National Geographic Magazine