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Physical Properties of Gold
What is the atomic weight of gold?
The atomic weight of gold is 79.
What is the chemical symbol of gold?
The chemical symbol of gold is Au.
From where is the chemical symbol of gold derived?
The symbol "Au" is from the Latin word for gold, aurum.
What is natural gold like?
Gold appears as nuggets or grains in rocks, and in "veins" in the earth. It is very soft and bright yellow in colour even in its unrefined form. It does not oxidize (rust) from exposure to air or water, unlike many other metals.
What does it mean that gold is "malleable?"
Malleability is the quality possessed by some metals (and other materials) to be bent, hammered flat and shaped. Gold is among the most malleable of all elements -- a single ounce of pure gold can be pulled into a wire 40 miles long, or hammered into a flat sheet 300 square feet in size and 4 millionths of an inch thick.
What is the melting point of gold?
The melting point of pure gold is 1064.4 degrees Celsius (1947.0 degrees Fahrenheit.)