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The
chemical formula of gold is AU. It has been named noble metal. This
designation in chemical terminology is due to its exceptional resistance
to corrosion and oxidizing. Those two phenomenon lead others base
metals like iron, copper and tin to disintegrate.
Pleasant to touch,
they delight the eyesight. At last, their rarity is enough to stimulate
possession instict which is inner in human being gold is a malleable
metal. It can be stretched as a thread or as extremely thin filaments.
It can be hammered in shape without breaking it. With a 1 gr. nugget,
a thread of 3 kms can be stretched, and a sheet of 80 x 80 cms can
be spread. Yellow by reflection, green by transpearance, very dense,
it melts at 360°c and boils about 2600°c. Its solvent is
chlorine, provided by a mixture of hydrochloric and nitric acid
making "eau régale". With mercury, it gives a combination.
Be careful with your jewels when you touch mercury (thermometer,
etc...) It is used in Jewelry, passmentry, gilding, electricity
and aerospace. Easy to carry, universally accepted, gold has become
exchange money between people and nations. It started triumphant
armies of conquerors and explorers, thanks to it empires were built
and the lack of it led them to the end. No civilization can became
great without gold.
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