Tracing the Discovery of Gold
There is no record for the actual discovery of gold. Gold though is known to exits for at least 5500 years. The discovery of gold should be around that time. Since the time of the discovery of gold until now gold has been considered as a precious metal.
Alchemists during their time believed that the gold is similar to the sun because of its distinctive yellowish tinge.
The discovery of gold could have probably led to the discovery of other elements because gold often exists with other elements such as silver, quartz, calcite, lead, zinc, copper and tellurium. It is believed that discovery of gold is possible in seawater. This is highly impractical though because the costs of extracting gold from seawater are extremely high, much higher than that of the worth of gold extracted.
Characteristics and Benefits of Gold
The discovery of gold led to the discovery of the characteristics and properties of this unique, precious metal. The most distinctive characteristic of gold is its malleability and ductility. It is so ductile that it can be made into a strand .000127 millimeters thin, thinner than the human hair. And as a proof of its malleability, an ounce of gold can be made into 5 meters on the side.
The discovery of gold also led to the discovery of its beneficial uses. Gold can mixed with other metals to form a gold alloy and create a stronger, harder kind of gold product. Gold alloys can be silver, copper, nickel, platinum, palladium and others.
Nickel is one gold alloy that causes some allergic reaction to females using the alloy. Some countries discontinued its use to prevent medical problems particularly allergies.
The discovery of gold made it possible to determine the quality of gold in terms of carats as represented by symbol k. One carat makes up one part of twenty-four.
Gold does not tarnish upon exposure to air. This is one characteristic evident upon the discovery of gold. Gold products also conduct electricity and heat. And gold can be used to make electronic parts.
Recent uses of gold are also being discovered. For one, gold is also capable of reflecting infrared radiation and shield spacecraft and skyscrapers from the heat. Gold coated mirrors are turned into telescopes that can detect infrared lights.
Another wonder which is brought about by the discovery of gold is it can be used to treat cancer. The discovery of gold made it possible for all of us to avail and know its wonderful uses.
