gold
Gold is the mineral of wealth and money. It is a chemical element symbolized by the letters Au, which is similar to its name in Latin. It is used by people as a monetary unit. It is found in nature in the form of shiny granules in rocks, river bottoms and veins in the ground. The largest mass of gold in Australia in 1896, weighing 2.280 ounces.
Gold is purified by separating dust, silt and impurities from it by strong currents, sand and grit are removed from it, leaving gold in place, or mercury may be used to melt gold without sand and impurities. Gold is then removed from mercury by the mercury distillation process .
Gold properties
Gold is distinguished from other minerals with many physical and chemical properties. This is due to its chemical nature. It bears the atomic number (79) and the atomic mass (196.967). Its main characteristics are the following:
- Gold is smooth.
- Features a gloss.
- Lack of corrosion.
- High density.
- It is a good electrical connector.
- It is a good conductor of heat.
- Retractability, knocking, formation.
- The melting point of gold is forty-four degrees Celsius.
- The boiling point of gold is two thousand eight hundred and fifty-six centigrade.
- Gold does not react with air, water, heat, or moisture.
- It dissolves in royal water, a hydrolytic acid and nitric acid mixture.
- Dissolves in sodium thiocriptate solution with oxygen.
- Dissolves in cyanide solutions and alkaline elements.
Uses of gold
The gold availability of the Pharaohs was used in the making of kings’ coffins and some tools such as carts. They also used the gold mixture with some cosmetic ointments to make masks for the skin. They also made the mask of Tutankhamun. These days gold forms the origin of the monetary material used by the International Monetary Fund, International, and gold Other uses in:
- The field of dentistry, such as dressing and filling teeth.
- Manufacture of jewelry and decorations.
- Treatment of rheumatism and osteoporosis, where the so-called gold solution is manufactured.
- The treatment of some types of cancers; where used in the gold irradiated No. (198).
- Pharmaceutical packaging.
- Electronics industry, and microelectric circuits.
Whereabouts of gold
There are two types of gold in nature: either as primary deposits, or in river clusters as movable deposits. These are the most important regions of the world rich in this shining metal:
- Nevada.
- Alaska.
- California.
- Ural Mountains.
- South Dakota.
- Ontario County, Canada.
- The Trans-Rand region of the South African Union, which produces about 40 per cent of the world’s gold production.