Gold is a chemical element with symbol Au and atomic number 79.

It is a bright yellow
dense, soft, malleable and ductile metal. The properties remain when exposed to air or
water. Chemically, gold is atransition metal and a group element. It is one of the least
reacti!e chemical elements, and is solid under standard conditions. The metal therefore
occurs often in free elemental "nati!e# form, as nuggets or grains, in roc$s, in !eins and in
allu!ial deposits. %ess commonly, it occurs in minerals as gold compounds, such as with
tellurium ascala!erite, syl!anite, or $rennerite.
As the metallic nati!e element mineral, gold structurally belongs to theisometric copper
group. It also forms a solid solution series with the nati!e element sil!er "Ag# to which it
is often naturally alloyed "electrum#. &ther common natural gold alloys are with copper
andpalladium "'d#.
Gold resists attac$s by indi!idual acids, but it can be dissol!ed by a(ua regia "nitro)
hydrochloric acid#, so named because it dissol!es gold. Gold also dissol!es in al$aline
solutions of cyanide, which ha!e been used in mining. It dissol!es in mercury, forming
amalgam alloys* it is insoluble in nitric acid, which dissol!es sil!er and base metals, a
property that has long been used to confirm the presence of gold in items, gi!ing rise to
the term acid test.
This metal has been a !aluable and highly sought)after precious metalfor coinage,
+ewelry, and other arts since long before the beginning ofrecorded history. In the past, the
Gold standard has been implemented as a monetary policy, but it was widely supplanted
by fiat currencystarting in the 9,-s. The last gold certificate and gold coin currencies
were issued in the ../. in 9,0. In 1urope, most countries left the gold standard with the
start of 2orld 2ar I in 93 and, with huge war debts, did not return to gold as a medium
of exchange. The !alue of gold is rooted in its medium rarity, easy handling, easy
smelting, non)corrosi!eness, distinct color and non)reacti!eness to other elements*
(ualities most other metals lac$.
A total of 73,-- tonnes of gold ha!e been mined in human history, according to G45/
as of 0-0.607 This is roughly e(ui!alent to 8.9 billion troy ounces or, in terms of !olume,
about 909 m,, or a cube 0.- m on a side. The world consumption of new gold
produced is about 8-: in +ewelry, 3-: in in!estments, and -: in industry.6,7
;esides its widespread monetary and symbolic functions, gold has many practical uses in
dentistry, electronics, and other fields. Its highmalleability, ductility, resistance to
corrosion and most other chemical reactions, and conducti!ity of electricity ha!e led to
many uses, including electric wiring, colored)glass production, and gold leafing.
5ost of the 1arth<s gold probably lies at its core, the metal<s high density ha!ing made it
sin$ there in the planet<s youth. =irtually all disco!ered gold is considered to ha!e been
deposited later bymeteorites that contained the element.637 687 697 677 6>7
A schematic diagram of a ?1 "left# to /2 "right# cross)section through the 0.-0-
billion year old =redefort impact crater in /outh Africa and how it distorted the
contemporary geological structures. The present erosion le!el is shown. @ohannesburg
is located where the 2itwatersrand ;asin "the yellow layer# is exposed at the Apresent
surfaceA line, +ust inside the crater rim, on the left. ?ot to scale.
The asteroid that formed =redefort crater 0.-0- billion years ago is often credited with
seeding the 2itwatersrand basin in /outh Africawith the richest gold deposits on earth.697
6-7 67 607 Bowe!er, the gold bearing 2itwatersrand roc$s were laid down between
7-- and 98- million years before the =redefort impact.6,7 637 These gold bearing roc$s
had furthermore been co!ered by a thic$ layer of =entersdorp la!as, and the Trans!aal
/upergroup of roc$s before the meteor struc$. 2hat the =redefort impact achie!ed,
howe!er, was to distort the 2itwatersrand basin in such a way that the gold bearing roc$s
were brought to the present erosion surface in @ohannesburg, on the 2itwatersrand, +ust
inside the rim of the original ,-- $m diameter crater caused by the meteor stri$e. The
disco!ery of the deposit in >>9 launched the 2itwatersrand Gold Cush. ?early 8-: of
all the gold e!er mined on earth has been extracted from these 2itwatersrand roc$s.637