Gold

Element Facts

• Gold's symbol- Au (Aurum)

• Atomic Mass- 196.96657 u

• Atomic Number- 79

• Melting point- 1,948°F (1,064°C)

• Boiling point- 4,892°F (2,700°C)

Gold Uses

• Dentistry- Gold is considered the best filling for cavities, crowns, bridges, and orthodontic appliances.

• Electronics and Computers- Gold is the top metal when it comes to being good conductors of electricity. It is able to carry electrical charges easily because of this property. Gold is found in many electrical devices like mobile phones, computers, television sets, and GPS devices.

• Jewelry- About 80% of gold is converted into jewelry. It is the most standard use of gold and is common amongst all cultures.

The History of Gold

Gold was discovered on January 24, 1848 by James Wilson Marshall. Marshall, originally a carpenter from New Jersey discovered flakes of gold in the American River at the base of Sierra Nevada Mountains near Sacramento, California. At the time, Marshall was working to build a water-powered sawmill owned by John Sutter. This event in history was called the "California Gold Rush" of 1849.

Though Marshall and Sutter tried to keep news of the discovery a secret, word got out, and by mid-March at least one newspaper was reporting that large quantities of gold were at Sutter’s Mill.

After 1850, the surface gold in California largely disappeared. Though gold mining did continue throughout the 1850s, it had reached its peak by 1852, when some $81 million of gold was pulled from the ground.

References

https://yourstory.com/mystory/9599111633-5-common-uses-of-gold

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold

https://www.factslides.com/s-Gold

https://www.history.com/topics/westward-expansion/gold-rush-of-1849