Gold

Atomic Number: 79
Symbol: Au
Atomic Mass: 196.97 u
Number of Neutrons: 118
Melting Point: 1064°C
Boiling Point: 2700°C
Electrons per shell: 2.8.18.32.18.1
Electron configuration: [Xe] 4f¹⁴ 5d¹⁰ 6s¹

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Gold is the 79th element in the periodic table and it is a transition metal. In it's pure form, it is a bright, slightly reddish yellow, dense, soft and malleable metal. Gold isn't very reactive and is therefore used often for jewelry. Gold is an extremely rare element on Earth. It's abundance in the earth's crust is 0.004 ppm (parts per million). It doesn't react with very many other elements, it is often found in it's normal form in the Earth's crust or mixed with other metals like silver. South Africa is the source of almost half of the world's gold. 100% of gold found naturally is isotope Au-197. Gold is used since 3000BC so there is no known person that actually discovered it first. The symbol Au comes from the Latin word for gold, "aurum," and the word gold gets it's name from the Anglo-Saxon word "geolo" for yellow.

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