Since the pre-historic times, gold has been one of the most precious and desired elements known to man. Second only to platinum and diamonds, gold remains the crux of trading, bullion and jewelry even today! Aptly christened ‘Aurum’ in Latin from where it derives it’s symbol Au, the aura of gold has transcended to medical, electronic, automobile industries where it is indispensable owing to the myriad properties of gold that are elaborated below.

Physical Properties of Gold

1.    Gold is a metal that is intensely malleable (beaten into sheets) and ductile (drawn into wires). In fact, you can have almost 300 square feet of gold sheet or 100 meters of gold wire by beating simply 25 grams of pure gold.
2.    Gold is an extremely soft metal that is easily deformed. Hence, to give it some hardness and strength, gold is generally alloyed with Platinum, Palladium, Nickel and Zinc among other metals.
3.    Gold in an unprocessed mass lump is yellow in color, but can take on various hues and shades depending on the metal it is alloyed with. Moreover, it changes color when extracted in nano-material form as well.
4.    Gold is a powerful conductor of heat and electricity. Not only does it conduct heat, it also is a remarkable reflector of heat and infra-red radiations. It is however, not magnetically affected.

Chemical Properties of Gold

1.    Gold belongs to the Transition Group of elements in the Periodic Table and is a part of Group 11. Thus, it retains properties of being a stable solid and inert to almost all elements.
2.    Gold is non-corrosive and does not undergo oxidation or chemical decomposition in air or water. It remains unresponsive to acid and alkaline solutions with the exception of ‘Aqua Regia’ and cyanide solutions where it dissolves to create ‘Liquid Gold’ – another priceless commodity.
3.    Auric Chloride, Chlorauric Acid and Aqua Regia are few gold compounds. However, gold mingles readily with other metals to form alloys. Such alloys with copper and magnesium make gold beneficial for electronic and communication devices.
4.    There are 36 official radio isotopes and nearly 32 nuclear isotopes of gold, out of which Au197 is the only stable and naturally occurring isotope on earth. The rest have half-lives ranging from 186 days to 26 micro-seconds.

Medical Properties of Gold

1.    Gold vapors are very noxious upon inhalation. Exposure to the skin and eyes may result in rashes and allergic break-outs. Inhalation effects are yet to be reported.
2.    Gold, being environmentally non-reactive, is a bio-compatible metal. It is hence, used to build auxiliary heart cords and joint stents in the heart and lung areas. Apart from being inert in the body, it is also highly averse to bacterial infections and thus, is a great choice for ear related surgical procedures.
3.    Chrysotherapy is a branch of medical history that involves the use of gold in elemental form to cure ailments such as common cold and cough. The compounds of gold commonly used in medical drugs and therapies are Myocrisin and Auranofin.

Consequently, owing to its lustrous appearance and the exquisite physical, chemical and medical properties of gold, this is one metal that will be cherished for many more years to come.