15 Fun Facts About Gold

Posted by Nabin Shaw on January 7th, 2020

People buy gold either as an investment or as jewellery. Basically, gold is often portrayed as the best investment vehicle, the best hedge in times of financial and geopolitical turmoil but there is so much more to this precious metal. There is a whole industry that involves miners, gold buyers Brisbane, investors, Gold Refineries and more. Once upon a time gold was fun to look at and to own until governments stepped in with their monetary policies stripping gold of its significance.

Here are some facts about gold you might never have heard of:

  1. Gold is the only yellow metal in the world. It does not tarnish or turn green because it does not go through oxidation like other metals.
  1. Gold might come from deep underground but it actually came from meteorites that struck the earth some 200 million years ago.
  1. Gold is represented by the symbol “AU” on the periodic table of elements. This symbol stands for Aurum a Latin word that means glowing sunrise.
  1. Gold belongs to the noble group of metals. This is why it does not react with moisture, air or other chemicals. Gold does not dissolve in acids like other metals. A mixture known as aqua Refia is actually the only chemical that can dissolve gold.
  1. Gold is a heavy and dense metal that is non-toxic which is why it is safe for people to put flakes of gold in their food and drinks.
  1. Pure gold is odorless and does not have a particular taste. Other metals on the other hand are reactive and their ions give off a kind of flavor and smell.
  1. There are 25 tons of gold in every cubic mile of the sea. That means that the seas have there is 10 billion tons of gold in them. Unfortunately, in there is no economical way of recovering any of it.
  1. If you were to gather the all the gold mined above the ground, you could compress it into a 180-yard cube.
  1. Gold is so rare that there is more steel poured in an hour that gold since it was first discovered. In fact, nuggets are rarer to find than diamonds.
  1. Gold is so malleable an ounce of it can be rolled into a 3000 sq.ft sheet, thin enough to almost be transparent.
  1. Gold is also extremely ductile and an ounce of it can be pulled into a 5mile long thread. Gold thread is often used in the textile industry.
  1. The purest form of gold is a 24 karats, however the quality can be reduced by the addition of other metals. 18 karat gold is made up of 75% pure gold and 25% silver, platinum, copper, zinc, nickel and other metals. 14 karat gold contains 58.5% pure gold whilst 10 karats is made up of. 41.75 pure gold. Because pure gold is so soft, other metals have to be added for extra strength.
  1. Gold has more uses than being a monetary symbol, it can be used in other applications including electronics, medicine, dentistry etc.
  1. It is used in astronaut helmets to protect them from the harmful rays of the sun, but still allowing sufficient sunlight to pass through safely whilst keeping the astronaut’s face cool.
  1. Liquefied gold is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis.

Gold is also handy as something to turn to in times of financial emergencies. People hit bad times all the time, or they have to deal with unexpected expenses that had not budgeted in such cases, those with gold can sell their gold to reputable gold buyers Brisbane and get immediate cash to take care of their immediate problems. The industry has come a long way evolving into the internet. There are more buyers these days and more options available for anyone wanting to sell their gold fast and for good money.

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Nabin Shaw

About the Author

Nabin Shaw
Joined: May 7th, 2018
Articles Posted: 225

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