Gold Facts - Interesting Facts You Never Knew About Gold

Gold is a highly valued precious metal that is bright yellow in color. Gold is often seen as a symbol of a person's wealth. Here are some interesting facts about gold that you might not know before.

Interesting Facts About Gold

1. The chemical symbol for gold is Au, from the Latin aurum, which means 'shining dawn'.
2. Gold is bright yellow and has a high luster. Apart from copper, it is the only non-white colored metal. Gold's attractive warm color has led to its widespread use in decoration.
3. As pure gold is very soft, it is often combined with other things (for hardening it) when making jewelry.
4. Gold can cause allergies on the skin. This allergy affects more women than men.
5. Gold has been discovered on every continent on earth.
6. Injecting gold into the body can help fight cancer.
7. Gold is edible.
8. Our bodies contain about 0.2 milligrams of gold, most of it in our blood.
9. Earthquakes turn water into gold.
10. Small traces of gold have been found in the leaves of Eucalyptus trees.
11. Gold is so ductile and malleable that an ounce of gold can be stretched to a length of over fifty miles or beaten into a sheet to cover a hundred square feet. A single gram of gold can be beaten into a sheet of one square meter.
12. Gold can be made into thread and used in embroidery.
13. Mixing of copper creates pink and rose tones in gold metal. The more the copper, the deeper will be the effect.
14. The first discovery of gold in the United States was at the Reed Gold Mine near Georgeville, North Carolina in 1803.
15. Olympic Gold Medals contain only 1.34% of gold.
16. Some cars use gold for heat dissipation.
17. The word gold derives from the Old English Anglo-Saxon word 'geolo' meaning yellow.
18. Gold bars were made as early as 4000 BC.
19. The most valuable legal tender coin in the world is a US$1 million coin from Australia. Since it weighs 1,000 kg and is 99.99% pure gold, it is worth almost US$45 million.
20. The purity of gold is measured in Carats. A carat was originally a unit of mass based on the carob seed used by ancient merchants.
21. Great achievements are often rewarded with gold such as gold medals in the Olympic Games.
22. In 1968, Gold was made the official state mineral of Alaska.
23. Throughout history, gold coins were often used as money. These have largely been replaced by paper money.
24. India is the largest consumer of gold.
25. The world's oceans contain nearly 20 million tons of gold.
26. A good thermal and electrical conductor, gold is generally alloyed to increase its strength, and it is used as an international monetary standard, in jewelry, for decoration, and as a plated coating on a wide variety of electrical and mechanical components.
27. 75% of all gold ever produced has been extracted since 1910. It has been estimated that all the gold in the world that has ever been refined would form a single cube with sides of 20.7m (68 feet).
28. The price of gold is fixed twice a day at 10.30 am and 3.00 pm at the premises of N M Rothschild by the five main Bullion Houses - Deutsche Bank, HSBC, NM Rothschild, ScotiaMocatta and Societe Generale. The first gold fix was on 12 September 1919 and this tradition has continued in order to provide a publicly quoted price as a benchmark to be used by producers and consumers.
29. There is some gold in the oceans. However, there is only a small amount thus making it impractical to extract it from the oceans. It would cost more to extract it than you would make from selling the gold!
30. Nearly all of the gold on Earth came from meteorites that bombarded the planet over 200 million years after it formed.
31. Gold is perfect for use in coins and jewelry as it does not react with air or water like many other metals.
32. Pure gold is non-toxic to human and does not cause any irritation when ingested. In fact, some alcoholic drinks contain metallic gold. Compounds of gold, such as gold chloride, are toxic to humans.
33. In gold reserve, the United States ranks first in the world. However, if included the gold ornaments, then India will grab the top spot.
34. Carat weight can be 10, 12, 14, 18, 22, or 24. The higher the number, the greater the purity.
35. Gold has always been a critical investment avenue for investors. Not only does it act as a safe haven during the time of crisis but also has an aesthetic value attached to it.
36. Indian housewives hold 11% of the World's Gold. That is more than the reserves of the U.S., IMF, Switzerland and Germany put together.
37. Since the early 16th century, the gold filling was recommended for filling the cavity.
38. Physical ownership of Gold entails high risk and storage costs. Thus, over time various other safe and cost effective investment avenues have evolved. Gold Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) and E-Gold are a few prominent examples.
39. In the Periodic Table of Elements, gold is classified as a transitional metal with the following characteristics:
    • Symbol: Au
    • Atomic number: 79
    • Atomic mass: 196.96655
    • Number of protons/electrons: 79
    • Number of Neutrons: 118
    • Melting point: 1,064.43C (1,337.58K, 1,947.97F)
    • Boiling point: 2,807.0C (3,80.15K, 5,084.6F)
    • Density @ 293 K: 19.32 grams per cubic centimeter
    • Crystal Structure: Cubic
    • Oxidation states: +1, +3
40. Gold is classified as a "Transition Metal" which are located in Groups 3 - 12 of the Periodic Table. An Element classified as a Transition Metals is ductile, malleable, and able to conduct electricity and heat.
41. There is enough gold in Earth's core to coat its entire surface to a depth of 1.5 feet.

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