Curious about gold

• Curious about gold

Gold is one of the most popular and valuable metals in the world. His unique status among other metals due to inner beauty, rarity and physical properties. Today we have for your judgment of 25 interesting facts about this amazing metal.

1. The chemical element "AU" is Latin for Aurum means "shining light". Russian, the word "gold" is actually a modified form of the adjective "yellow". A similar story with the English word "gold", which is derived from the Old English "geolu", indicating the yellow (affinity with him can be traced back to the word "yellow".

2. The term "troy ounce" gold came from the name of the French city of Troyes, where the world's first system of weights for precious metals and stones was created. One ounce of weight equal to 480 grains (one grain weighs exactly 64, 79 892 mg).

3. The purity of gold is determined by the carat. The term "carat" is derived from the seeds of the carob tree, which are used in the Middle East for weighing. Karaty - leguminous fruits, each carob pod weighs 5.1 g (200 mg). Gold carat weight may be 10, 12, 14, 18, 22 or 24. The larger the value, the higher the quality of gold. "Pure gold" is considered to be a minimum weight of 10 carats. "Pure gold" - 24 carats, however, and it contains a small amount of copper.

4. Pure gold is .999. Because it is too soft - it can be scratched with a fingernail - it added to other metals such as copper and silver. The amount of pure gold in an alloy determines the sample. In the alloy 585 at 1g have 0, 585 mg of gold.

5. The melting point of gold is 1064, of 43 degrees Celsius. This metal is excellent conductor of heat and electricity, never rust.

6. Gold - a very flexible metal. From it you can make sewing thread. One ounce of gold (28, 35 grams) can be stretched up to 80 kilometers.

7. Gold - a chemically inert material, so it will never rust and does not cause skin irritation. If a piece of jewelry made of gold has caused an allergic reaction, then in the other alloy metals added. In addition, despite the fact that gold is a heavy, dense metal, it is considered non-toxic.

8. Although gold and a rare metal, but its deposits are on all continents. In addition it is believed that 80% of the total reserves of precious metal are still within the Earth.

9. In the body of an average adult contains about 0, 2 mg of gold.

10. Gold was one of the first metals discovered by man. Decorative gold found in Bulgaria, referred to in 4000 g of BC. e. - the Stone era. More in 7th century BC. e. Italian dentists gold wire used to insert the teeth. In ancient Egypt, gold was considered the skin / flesh of the gods. In particular, the sun god Ra. For this reason, the precious metal was only available to the pharaohs, their family and the clergy. Chamber, which houses the sarcophagus of the king, called "Gold House". The ancient Greeks believed that the gold - a dense combination of water and sunlight. Incas called gold "Tears of the Sun". It was believed that this metal - it is a gift from the people of the Sun God. In the year 560 BC. e. Lydians released the first gold coin in the world. However, it was not made of pure gold, and of electrum - an alloy of gold and silver. Around the world, the use of gold coins began after land Lydians captured Persians.

11. Incidentally, in the Bible, gold is mentioned at least 400 times. In particular, the present instruction from God to cover the furniture in the tabernacle of "pure gold." Also this metal is mentioned as one of the Magi gifts.

12. Golden Ducat, coined in Venice in 1284, for 500 years remained the most popular coin in the world. Dukat in Latin means "prince." The coin used during the time of Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet, as well as references to it are in the play "The Merchant of Venice" ( "The Merchant of Venice"). About Golden Ducat in one of his songs ( "I Is not the One") sings the rapper Ice Cube on them as mentioned in the sci-fi movie "Babylon 5" as a cash race Centauri.

13. The first officially registered gold nugget was mined in the United States, in Cabarrus, North Carolina. Its weight is 17 pounds (7, 7 kg). That North Carolina became the birthplace of the "gold rush". Once here the second nugget found in 1803.

14. Only about 10% of the world gold production provides the industry's needs, and the rest goes to the production of jewelery and gold bars.

15. Scientists believe that about 10 billion tons of gold contained in the waters of the oceans and the ocean floor, but the methods that would make it prey to such conditions as possible and economically feasible, do not exist.

16. The largest stock of gold in the world is the Federal Reserve Bank of New York warehouse. It contains twenty-five percent of the world's gold reserves (540,000 gold bars). Most are owned by foreign governments.

17. The world's first gold vending machine was opened in May 2010 and is located in the ultra-luxury hotel in Abu Dhabi, the trade machine itself, too, is covered with 24 carat gold.

18. Aurofobiya - is the fear of gold.

19. The heaviest gold bullion in the world weighs 250 kilograms.

20. Golden metallic flakes or platelets can be eaten together with food or beverages. Which is used by the most expensive restaurants in the world, in order to surprise your guests. However, gold is odorless and completely tasteless, but it can add luster to your dish and a few extra zeros to the account.

21. In the entire history of mankind according to various estimates produced from 150 to 200 thousand tons. With more than half extracted from the earth in the last 2 centuries. Approximately 15% of this amount has been irretrievably lost as a result of use. Still about 10-15% of mined gold has held recycling. Currently, all known deposits of gold are still in the approximate amount of 100 - 150 thousand tons.

22. The weight of one of the largest gold nuggets stood at 72 kg, its dimensions were -. 31 * 63, 5 cm was found "treasure" was John Deason and Richard in Australia, February 5, 1869. Nugget was named "Hello, stranger." It is noteworthy that the gold "stone" was located at a depth of five centimeters from the ground.

23. In 1940, the Hungarian chemist George de Hevesy dissolved the gold Nobel medal German physicist Max von Laue and James Franck in aqua regia, to prevent seizure of the precious metal by the Nazis. After the war, the medals were restored.

24. Three or four of the Olympic swimming pool can accommodate all the gold mined in human history. Moreover, almost half of the gold has been extracted from one place - the Witwatersrand (Witwatersrand) South Africa.

25. Most of the gold in the vaults of the US - about 8133, 5 tons, the second place goes Germany - 3371 tons, completes the trinity of Italy with stocks - 2451, 8 tons. Russia in the ranking the 5th place. Our reserves are also rising gradually, and currently account for 1909 8 tons. In the ranking of countries by gold production, the following picture. China in the first place, and then we go. Further, South Africa and Australia and the United States.

And in the end I want to add. In 1511, King Ferdinand of Spain said the immortal phrase: "to dig for gold, if possible, in a humane way, but in that whatever the cost - to extract the gold." All good and a lot of gold!