FUSE Young Reporter
iSCIENCE
Gold has
become a
valuable
treasure. From
the ancient
Egyptians to the
present times it has
played a great role in
history. Many nations still
count their wealth according to
the amount of gold they keep in storage.
Large amounts of gold are still used in
the manufacturing of coins, medals,
jewellery and art. It is a good choice
because due to its chemical properties
gold does not rust or tarnish very easily,
nor is it very reactive with oxygen, acids
or halogens such as chlorine.
Gold also has a number of uses
in industry, medicine and other
applications.
For example,
one radioactive
isotope of gold
is commonly
used to treat
cancer.
Gold is quite soft and
can usually be scratched by a
penny. Its melting point is a massive
1,064.76 °C and its boiling point is about
2,700 °C. Its density is 19.3 g/cm 3 .
Gold is both ductile (flexible) and
malleable (mouldable). So, a small 20g
piece of gold can become thin, flexible
wire...or a huge, hammered sheet of
gold foil covering over 6 m 2 , but only
0.00025 cm thick!
WEB TIP
Celsius (ºC), Fahrenh
eit and Kelvin
scales: FUSE Winte
r 2016-17
ANCIENT WORLD
BC / BCE
AD / CE
6
FUSE
of years
The number
t’ is believed
‘Before Chris
born /
to have been
mon Era’.
‘Before Com
i; Medieval
Anno Domin
e year of the
Latin for ‘in th om Jesus’
ng fr
Lord’, counti
on Era’.
birth / ‘Comm