
The world consumption of new gold produced is about 50% in jewelry, 40% in investments, and 10% in industry. This is roughly equivalent to 5.6 billion troy ounces or, in terms of volume, about 9020 m3, or a cube 21 m on a side. The historical value of gold was rooted in its medium rarity, easy handling and minting, easy smelting, non-corrodability, distinct color, and non-reactivity to other elements.Ī total of 174,100 tonnes of gold have been mined in human history, according to GFMS as of 2012. Gold is the most malleable and ductile of all known metals. In the past, a gold standard was often implemented as a monetary policy within and between nations, but gold coins ceased to be minted as a circulating currency in the 1930s, and the world gold standard was finally abandoned for a fiat currency system after 1976. The Element Gold - Basic Physical and Historical Information. This metal has been a valuable and highly sought-after precious metal for coinage, jewelry, and other arts since long before the beginning of recorded history. Therefore most of the gold that is present today in the Earth's crust and mantle is thought to have been delivered to Earth later, by asteroid impacts during the late heavy bombardment, about 4 billion years ago. Because the Earth was molten when it was just formed, almost all of the gold present in the early Earth probably sank into the planetary core. It is thought to have been produced in supernova nucleosynthesis and to have been present in the dust from which the Solar System formed. Gold's atomic number of 79 makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally in the universe.
#Periodic table gold free#
The metal therefore occurs often in free elemental (native) form, as nuggets or grains, in rocks, in veins and in alluvial deposits. It is one of the least reactive chemical elements, and is solid under standard conditions. In its purest form, it is a bright, slightly reddish yellow, dense, soft, malleable and ductile metal. Gold is a chemical element with symbol Au (from Latin: aurum) and atomic number 79.

The standard form of the table consists of a grid of elements laid out in 18 columns and 7 rows, with a double row of elements below that. Elements are presented in order of increasing atomic number, which is typically listed with the chemical symbol in each box. The periodic table is a tabular arrangement of the chemical elements, organized on the basis of their atomic number (number of protons in the nucleus), electron configurations, and recurring chemical properties. Here you will find pieces featuring Periodic Table of Elements - Gold (Au) in Gold on Black. Introducing 'The Elements' collection by Serge Averbukh, showcasing artwork representing various elements of the periodic table.
