GOLD (Au)

 

Melting point 1063 C°
Boiling point 2970 C°
Density 19300 kg/m³
Atomic weight 196,967
Ordinal number 79

 

Au, the chemical symbol for gold, can be traced back to the Latin word for gold, "aurum", and further to the ancient Italian word for morning glow, "aurora". Another explanation is that "aurum" comes from the ancient Hebrew word for light, "aor".

 

Through the ages it has been believed that there is a strong connection between gold and the sun. As late as in Columbus' time a belief prevailed that gold is formed by the heavenly glow of the sun. Gold could therefore be found mainly in the area where the sunshine is at its most powerful, that is, between the tropics of Capricorn and Cancer.

 

Gold is mentioned in the story of the Creation and it is the first metal, which is known to been used by man. The earliest documents describing the search for gold originates from ancient Egypt four thousand years ago.

 

Gold is said to be the king of metals. While being extremely malleable, one ounce of gold can be stretched to a string of over 40 miles. Gold is also one of the best conductors of electricity and it never rusts.

 

Gold has been pursued without sparing any human effort. Gold has demanded countless human sacrifices throughout history and yet the major part of recovered gold remains hidden in the vaults of the world's banks... without being used.

 

The biggest alluvial gold nugget in the world, "The Welcome Stranger", was found in Australia in 1869 and it weighs about 70 kilograms. Photo: Matti Kolho.