Gold

From Anvita Health Wiki

Contents 1 Introduction 2 Occurrence 3 Characteristics 4 Uses 5 More General Terms 6 Additional Terms 7 Internet Database 8 References

Introduction

• From the Anglo-Saxon geolo meaning yellow. The symbol Au comes from the Latin aurum meaning shining dawn. Known to ancient civilizations.

Occurrence

• found free in nature & associated with quartz, pyrite & other minerals
• 2/3 of the world's supply of gold comes from South Africa
• 2/3 of the US supply is from South Dakota & Nevada
• found in seawater, but no cost-effective process has been designed to extract it from its source

Characteristics

• yellow but may appear black, ruby or purple when finely divided
• gold is the most malleable & ductile element
• affected by air & most reagents
• good conductor of heat & electricity
• good reflector of infrared radiation
• generally non-toxic

Uses

• pharmacology

• gold salts used to treat rheumatoid arthritis

• auranofin
• aurothioglucose
• gold sodium thiomalate

• [198]gold is used in radiation therapy

• coins, jewelry & dentures
• often needs to be alloyed to give it strength
• spacecraft as a shield from the sun's heat

More General Terms

• chemical element
• metal

Additional Terms

• auranofin [gold] (Ridaura)
• aurothioglucose [gold] (Solganal) gold sodium thiomalate; aurothiomalate (Myochrysine, Chrysothios)
• gold toxicity

Internet Database

PubChem: 23985

References

1. Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, Miriam- Webster Inc. Springfield, MA 1990
2. Chemical & Engineering News, Sept 8, 2003

gold [Au]