Gold. This mysterious and alluring metal occupied the souls and minds of mankind in ancient times. All known civilizations revered gold, extolling it as something divine. Why is metal so attractive? What caused his boundless popularity? The answers to these and other questions, as well as all the most interesting facts about gold, are set forth below.
Why metal is noble
Gold is among the noble metals. This group also includes silver, platinum, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium, palladium and ismium. Metals are very reluctant to react with any elements and at ordinary temperatures are practically not subject to chemical influences.
Gold does not oxidize under the influence of oxygen and does not dissolve in water. You can change its state only in a special mixture of nitrous and hydrochloric acids. These interesting properties of gold allow it to maintain its pristine brilliance, color and structure. For such "resistance" it received the title of the highest, noble metal.
Chemical properties
Consider interesting facts about a chemical element. Gold has atomic number 79 and the name Au, abbreviated from the Latin Aurum, translated as "sunny", or "color of sunrise." So it is indicated in the periodic table of chemical elements.
In the Middle Ages, alchemists conducted many experiments with gold. They tried to create a philosopher's stone, which would make it possible to turn any other into this precious metal. It was the alchemists in the 8th century AD who were able to distill the liquid, which was able to dissolve gold. This mixture of copper sulphate, nitrate, alum and ammonia is now called “royal vodka”.
Thus, long before the advent of modern science, many interesting facts about gold became known. Chemistry only confirmed them by experiments and clothed the data in visual formulas of chemical elements and their reactions.
Physical properties
Physical science has found that gold is one of the heaviest metals. Its density is 19.3 grams per cubic centimeter. A golden ball with a diameter of only 46 millimeters will weigh a kilogram.
Tungsten has the same density. This is used by fraudsters to fake gold jewelry.
Another interesting fact about metal is that gold is very plastic. From it you can make rather thin plates and even foil. In the manufacture of jewelry, copper or silver is added to the alloy of gold for hardness, as jewelry made of pure gold easily scratches and loses its aesthetic value.
Softer than gold from known metals is only tin and lead.
Interesting facts about gold tell us that it is very easy to brittle this chemically resistant metal. It is enough to add only one percent of lead to the alloy, and it will break into pieces.
The effect of gold on humans
Since ancient times, the value of gold has been measured not only from a material point of view. It was believed that it has the ability to treat neurological disorders and heart disease. The introduction of gold in medicine is attributed to Paracelsus.
As far back as the 6th century, a Treatise was published, telling of drinking gold. It spoke of the miraculous drink of Arab alchemists. It was a red colloidal solution of finely divided gold. The Chinese called this drink the "elixir of life", giving inexhaustible vitality, strength and health.
Interesting facts about gold are revealed by modern scientists. They found that a chemical element in a negligible amount is found in human blood and has a physiological effect on the body. Modern medicine confirms the beneficial effects of gold on humans. Wearing jewelry from him gives him a good mood, helps get rid of depression and hysterical conditions. The interesting thing about gold is that it increases pressure, accelerates metabolic processes, and has a bactericidal effect.
The use of gold in medicine
Modern healers use a radioactive precious metal in the form of a colloidal solution in chemotherapy in the treatment of cancer. In another method, gold nano-particles introduced into a malignant tumor, under the influence of infrared rays, destroy deadly cells without damaging healthy tissue.
Plastic surgery is also committed to such miracles. In order to rejuvenate, gold threads are introduced under the skin, contributing to the formation of a collagen skeleton for the skin.
In the treatment of various arthritis, preparations containing gold particles are also successfully used.
Sample, carat and ounce
Everywhere, except for the medical industry, gold is not used in its pure form, but in alloys. This increases its strength and reduces the melting point. Mixing gold with other metals in order to change its color is called alloying. Adding silver or copper to the alloy allows you to get a yellow or red hue, respectively. And when mixed with palladium or nickel - white gold.
To clearly show the volume of pure gold, a jewelry system uses a system of samples that are approved by GOST. The stigma shows how many grains of the precious metal are contained in thousands of parts of the mass of the alloy.
Most often when working with gold the following types of mixtures are used:
- Samples 375. Such alloys are used to make jewelry, which cannot be called jewelry.
- Samples 585. The most common alloy, having many shades depending on the combination of the metals contained in it. It is used to make jewelry.
- Samples 750. Used for the manufacture of dentures, premium jewelry with precious stones.
- Samples 958. The gold content in the alloy - 95.8 percent - makes this alloy convenient for the manufacture of rare works of art, application in the art industries.
In Europe and the United States, a carat system is used to indicate the content of solar metal in a mixture. The thousandth sample alloy in the metric system corresponds to twenty-four carat units. Abroad, gold-containing jewelry is made from an eight-carat composition, which corresponds to our 333 sample.
Therefore, 14 carats are 585 samples, 18 carats are 750 samples.
Despite the transition to the metric mass weighing system, such an ancient unit of measurement of the mass of gold as an ounce is still used today. The world metal price is set twice a day in US dollars for one troy ounce of precious material. Troy ounce is 31.1034768 grams.
Hallmark
In order for the consumer to be aware of the percentage of pure gold in the purchased product, a test mark is affixed. It consists of an image of an assay certificate sign and sample designation in numbers.
Where and how is solar metal mined?
Gold is an unusually rare metal. It is believed that the bulk of the metal present on earth is concentrated in the core of the planet. And those deposits that mankind has discovered throughout its history are “splashes” that fell into the earth’s crust when it was bombarded by asteroids during the formation of land.
But it is precisely gold that people owe to the beginning of the era of metal processing. The most ancient valuable items found by archaeologists have been around for six and a half thousand years.
The oldest gold deposit was in Ancient Egypt, between the Nile River and the Red Sea. Almost 6 thousand tons of solar metal were mined there. The Egyptians obtained gold by washing metal-rich sand.
The extraction of valuable metal today is a combination of exploration activities using modern equipment. The current mine begins with the exploration of the deposit and determining its area. Then, economic calculations and performance analysis are carried out. If the mine is capable of generating profit, it is equipped with hydraulic equipment or dredges. Both in the first and in the second case, the princes of mining are all in the same washing of gold-bearing rocks or sand. Only in a modern mine this is not done by prospectors, but by cars.
Worldwide, gold is received in 70 countries. The largest miners are South Africa, Canada, Australia, the United States, and Russia.
What is the golden ratio
At all times, a precious chemical element has been used as a standard, an ideal measure of something. Thanks to this, the word "golden" has acquired the meaning of the great, perfect, higher. People call a kind and sympathetic heart golden. So called hardworking and inventive hands. “Golden Man” - they say about who has accomplished a significant feat or has shown the best qualities.
So the golden ratio is called the formula of mathematical proportion, the application of which in art leads to the achievement of the ideal. From the point of view of science, the golden ratio is a formula that expresses the division of a segment into two unequal ones. Moreover, the smaller refers to the larger in the same way as the larger to the first. This ratio has a golden ratio of 1.62.
The application of the rule is seen in the proportions of the Egyptian pyramids and tombs, in ancient Greek sculptures and paintings of the Renaissance, as well as in many natural objects.
The emergence of the concept of the golden ratio is associated with the activities of Leonardo da Vinci. In his creations, they often see the principle of this proportion.
Fibonacci studied interesting facts about the golden ratio. He deduced a numerical sequence, a kind of spiral equation. Subsequently, it began to be called the spiral golden ratio, or the Fibonacci principle.
Currently, photographers and artists use the rule to create perfectly harmonious compositions.
Gold of the Ancient World
Everything related to the history of the precious metal is very interesting. There are many legends about gold. And ancient civilizations considered this metal the flesh and blood of the gods.
The Egyptians, who discovered the largest deposit, perfectly mastered the art of making alloys. They used gold in various shades to make jewelry and cult objects.
In ancient Greece, solar metal was also personified with the creation of the earth. For all divine attributes gold was used. Interesting information is contained in ancient Greek myths. The sun god Zeus had a golden trident. The sun god Helios rode across the sky in a sun chariot and sailed on a boat of their precious metal.
And some more interesting facts about gold
The largest gold nugget weighed 72 kilograms.
In the process of wearing a jewelry made of gold, its weight decreases, since the metal is abraded, clinging to the skin and clothes.
The ancient Egyptians used sheepskin to flush gold. This served as the basis for the myth of the Golden Fleece.
Solar metal will never cease to interest people. Due to its exceptional properties, gold does not lose its popularity in jewelry production, and is increasingly used in high-tech industry and medicine.