Gold
Gold is a remarkable and rare metal It is also the only metal that forms no oxide film on it's surface in air at normal temperatures, meaning that it will never rust or tarnish.
Gold's chemical symbol is Au.
- Symbol: Au
- Atomic number: 79
- Atomic mass: 196.96655 amu
- Number of protons/electrons: 79
- Number of neutrons: 118
- Melting point: 1,064.43°C (1,337.58°K, 1,947.97°F)
- Boiling point: 2,807.0°C (3,80.15°K, 5,084.6°F)
- Density @ 293°K: 19.32 grams per cubic centimeter
- Crystal structure: cubic
Although many people many know gold for its use in jewelry, which is how about 65 percent of it is used, gold has a number of other uses. About 25 percent of gold is used in industrial applications in ceramics, electrical, and electronics applications.
Gold Alloys
Pure gold is generally too soft to be used for jewelry, so other metals are always added to it.
Chances are the ring on your finger is marked 18K, 14K, or 10K to indicate how much pure gold is present in the mix. The K stands for karat, the system used to state how much pure gold is found in an item.
Gold Karat Markings
- 24K gold is pure gold.
- 18K gold is 75% gold.
- 14K gold is 58.3% gold.
- 12K gold is 50% gold.
- 10K gold is 41.7% gold.
White Gold Alloys
Nickel can be mixed with gold to create a white or silver color.
Palladium is another metal used to create white gold alloys.
Related to platinum, it is more expensive than nickel, but is less likely to cause allergic reactions than nickel.
Rose & Pink Gold Alloys
- Copper is added to make gold-colored alloys, but additional copper creates pink and rose tones -- the more copper, the deeper the effect.
Green Gold Alloys
Greenish shades are created by adding silver to gold.
