79
Gold
Atomic Number79
Atomic Mass196.97 u
CategoryTransition Metal
State at Room TempSolid
Year DiscoveredAncient
About Gold
The most malleable metal. One ounce can be beaten into a sheet covering 28 square meters. All the gold ever mined would fit in a cube of about 21 meters per side. Gold nanoparticles appear red or purple, not gold-colored. Used in electronics, dentistry, and aerospace. The symbol Au comes from Latin aurum meaning shining dawn. Gold is so inert it survives unchanged for millennia.
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