Perhaps no other metal has played such an important part in the destiny of man as gold has. For ccnturics, it has stood as a barometer of wealth and nobility. To secure it, men have fought, suffered and died. Countries have been founded through the search for it; kingdoms have been lost bccausc of it.
Why?
Well, wc can supply three reasons. Value. Beauty. Permanence. Obviously, there is a limited supply of the metal available which increases its value. The fact that it is usually found free in nature makes it easy to mine — if you can find it. That it is attractive, we cannot deny. There arc very few people who do not appreciate the warm, shining yellow beauty of gold. (Wc would greatly appreciate having some.) And, finally, its appearance is quite permanent. Aluminium becomes dull, iron rusts, coppcr corrodes, silver tarnishes, but gold remains the same. (Although, it must be dusted occasionally.)
Dcspitcour glowing words above, metallic gold has very few practical uses. It is really a metal to be looked at, not to be used, about its only use at present is in the manufacture of jewellery. And even then it must be alloyed with other metals, usually coppcr or silver, as it is too soft to be used in the pure state.
Gold is inactive and is not attacked by oxygen or ordinary acids. It docs, however, react readily with chlorinc to form gold (auric) chloride, AuCI3. Thus, we can dissolve it in aqua rcgia or chlorinc water, both of which supply chlorinc.
It is owing to its remarkable properties that gold as well as platinum are increasingly used in some fields where particular accuracy and reliability are needed.