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Gold
Gold is 79th element in the "Periodic table of the elements". The chemical symbol is Au. It reacts only
with little elements. This precious metal is desired since 5,000 years. 3,000 B. C. from this metal were made the Egyptian
treasures. The coffin of Tutanchamum consists of gold. When we look back into history we can see that gold made people
very often crazy. In the 15th century when the Spanish conquerers came to South America and the Incas told them
that they have much gold, the Spanish conquerers killed thousends of Incas and they destroyed their houses and their shrines
to get the gold. When they have caught the Inca king Atahualpa they wanted to fill his whole prison cell with. The Incas
have done so, but the Spanish conquerers killed Atahualpa. The last Incas build Machu Piccu to hide. The Spanish conquerers
have never discovered Machu Piccu. In 1848 thousends of people went to Colorado to search gold. During this gold rush Denver
was built. In 1896 there was a gold rush in Canada near the rivers Yucon and Klondike and 1898 in Alaska. Today we make
jewels, coins ans bars of gold, but for the industry and for the science gold is very important, too. Gold is a very soft
metal and it is often mixed with other metals. This called alloy. Because of this reason the part of gold in an
alloy is declared in carat or in thousendth parts. 24 carat are 999.9 thousendth part (fine gold or pure gold), 18 carat are
750 thousendth part, 14 carat are 585 thousendth part and 8 carat are 333.3 thousendth part. This declares are engraved in
jewels. Good jewels consits of at least 14 carat and better jewels consists 18 carats, but the better jewels are softer.
Cheap jewels consists of 8 carat and the rest of the alloy is silver and copper. In German jewels the declaration is in
thousendth parts and in English jewels the declaration is in carat. Gold coins must consist of at least 90 per cent gold
(900 thousendth part). Gold bars in the whole world consist of 999.9 thousendth part of gold. There are gold bars in
different sizes: 1 g, 5 g, 20 g, 50 g, 100 g, 250 g, 500 g and 1000 g. We can find the daily gold course on the video text,
in the internet or in the newspaper. The gold course is usual for one ounce. One ounce is 31.1035 g. In many countries a
part of the money is covered throught gold. From the first half of the 19th century until the First World War
the whole money of the USA and of European countries were covered throught gold.
There are also white gold, green gold and grey gold. White gold is an alloy of gold and nickel or palladium, green gold
consists of an alloy of gold and silver, which is called electrum and grey gold consists of an alloy of gold and iron.
Gold is hauled in South Africa, in Russia and in the USA.
|
Data about Gold
| | Chemical formula |
Au |
|---|
| Mineral class |
elements |
|---|
| Crystal system |
cubical |
|---|
| Hardness |
2.5 to 3 |
|---|
| Density |
14.5 g/cm3 to 19.3 g/cm3 |
|---|
| Color |
gold-yellow |
|---|
| Line color |
gold-yellow |
|---|
| Gloss |
metal gloss |
|---|
| Break |
unevenly |
|---|
| Fissileness |
none |
|---|
Author and Webmaster: Lukas Czarnecki
If you have got questions about gold you can send me an e-mail under the following adress:
webmaster@hpwt.de
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Last Update: 03.11.2004
