Periodic Table of Elements

Element Gold - Au

Comprehensive data on the chemical element Gold is provided on this page; including scores of properties, element names in many languages, most known nuclides of Gold. Common chemical compounds are also provided for many elements. In addition technical terms are linked to their definitions and the menu contains links to related articles that are a great aid in one's studies.

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Overview of Gold

Gold's Name in Other Languages

  • Latin: Aurum
  • Czech: Zlato
  • Croatian: Zlato
  • French: Or
  • German: Gold - s
  • Italian: Oro
  • Norwegian: Gull
  • Portuguese: Ouro
  • Russian: Золото
  • Spanish: Oro
  • Swedish: Guld

Atomic Structure of Gold

Chemical Properties of Gold

Physical Properties of Gold

Regulatory / Health

  • CAS Number
    • 7440-57-5
  • OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL)
    • No limits set by OSHA
  • OSHA PEL Vacated 1989
    • No limits set by OSHA
  • NIOSH Recommended Exposure Limit (REL)
    • No limits set by NIOSH
  • Levels In Humans:
    Note: this data represents naturally occuring levels of elements in the typical human, it DOES NOT represent recommended daily allowances.
    • Blood/mg dm-3: (0.1-4.2)E-4
    • Bone/p.p.m: 0.016
    • Liver/p.p.m: 0.0004
    • Muscle/p.p.m: n/a
    • Daily Dietary Intake: n/a
    • Total Mass In Avg. 70kg human: 0.2 mg
  • Discovery Year: Unknown
  • Name Origin:
    Gold from old English word geolo (yellow) Au from Latin: aurum (gold).
  • Abundance of Gold:
    • Earth's Crust/p.p.m.: 0.0011
    • Seawater/p.p.m.: 0.00001
    • Atmosphere/p.p.m.: N/A
    • Sun (Relative to H=1E12): 5.6
  • Sources of Gold:
    Found in quartz veins in in extrusive rocks, with copper ore and native metals. Around 1,400 tons are produced each year world wide. Primary mining areas are South Africa, USA, Canada and Russia.
  • Uses of Gold:
    Very malleable. Used in electronics, jewelry dental crowns and coins. Supposedly around half of the world's supply of gold is stored in the United States Treasury Department's gold depository in Fort Knox Kentucky, which is considered to be one of the most secure buildings in the world.
  • Additional Notes:
    Gold is poorly absorbed by the body. Gold-based anti-arthritics can cause liver and/or kidney damage.

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References

A list of reference sources used to compile the data provided on our periodic table of elements can be found on the main periodic table page.

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