What Is Gold?

What is Gold? Gold is a metallic element with atomic number 79 and symbol Au. While gold's name comes from the Old English word meaning yellow, the symbol comes from the Latin aurum, meaning "dawn."

In the periodic table of elements, gold was found in Group 11, along with silver, copper, and roentgenium, and Period 6 between platinum and mercury. This is referred to as the "transition metals" and a metal, the soft resilient. Described as yellow, gold is one of the so-called precious metals, along with silver.

Stack of Gold

Known from ancient times - along with the mercury, sulfur, copper, silver, tin, and lead - gold was used as early 6000 BC Early uses including jewelry, including bracelets and rings, and ornaments. Flexibility means that the initial use of the individual items is practically impossible, so it is restricted to the decor. The civilization that used it, including Egypt, Greece, Mesopotamia and Rome.

Gold was discovered in the second layer of deposits and placer deposits, and naturally uncombined. While the biggest deposits found in South Africa, deposit notes also located in Australia, the Soviet Union, and a number of Western countries from the United States, including in Southwest Arizona, California, Montana, and Washington in the Pacific Northwest, and South Dakota in the Midwest.

Although many people know gold for use in jewelery - which is how about 65% of it is used - it has a number of other uses. About 25% is used in industrial applications in ceramics, electrical and electronic applications.

A specific use in powder-called golden purple tin, tin precipitate gold, or purple Cassius, which is used for tinting enamel and manufacture special type of glass called ruby glass. Ruby glass used in windows of office buildings as well as the mirrors used in space.

Source: Wisegeek