Gold is a precious metal with atomic number 79 and symbol Au. It is malleable, ductile, and found in group 11 of the periodic table. Gold was used for decoration by ancient civilizations and is found in lode and placer deposits worldwide. It has industrial uses and is used to color enamels and make ruby glass.
Gold is a metallic element with the atomic number 79 and the symbol Au. While the name gold comes from an Old English word meaning yellow, the symbol comes from the Latin aurum, meaning “bright dawn.”
In the periodic table of elements, gold is found in group 11, along with silver, copper and roentgenium, and in period 6 between platinum and mercury. It is called “transition metal” and is the most malleable and ductile metal. Described as yellow, gold is one of the so-called precious metals, along with silver.
Known since ancient times – along with mercury, sulfur, copper, silver, lead and tin – gold was used as early as 6000 BC. Initial use included for jewellery, including bracelets and rings, as well as ornaments. Its malleability meant that its initial use in any practical object was impossible, so it was limited to decoration. Civilizations that employed it included the Egyptians, Greeks, Mesopotamians, and Romans.
Gold is found in both lode deposits and placer deposits and is naturally uncombined. While the largest deposit is found in South Africa, notable deposits are also found in Australia, the former Soviet Union, and a number of western US states, including Arizona in the southwest; California, Montana and Washington in the Pacific Northwest; and South Dakota in the Midwest.
While many people may know gold from its use in jewelry – which is how about 65% of it is used – it has a number of other uses. About 25% is used in industrial applications in ceramic, electrical and electronic applications.
One specialized use is in the powder called gold-tin purple, gold-tin precipitate, or Cassius purple, which is used to color enamels and make a special type of glass called ruby glass. Ruby glass is used on office building windows and mirrors used in the space.
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