Curiosity
Some curiosities about Gold
Gold was the first metal ever used by the human species (before copper), for the manufacture of ornaments, jewels and ritual objects.
Curiosities from the world
Since birth, the human body contains small amounts of gold, approximately 0.000000003% of body weight.
Gold will never rust because it cannot combine with oxygen from the atmosphere to form a gold oxide.
Pure gold melts at 1063 ° C and boils at 2800 ° C.
The San Francisco 49ers football team gets its name from the wave of gold diggers that swept California (and San Francisco) in 1849. Which also explains the gold-colored helmets.
The largest gold mine in the world by size and annual production is Grasberg Mine, on the island of Papua, Indonesia, at 4,000 meters above sea level. In 2011 it produced around 45 tons of pure gold.
There are over 400 references to Gold in the Bible.
The largest reserves of gold in the world are the oceans: they contain 20 million tons, but it is not known how to extract it economically.
The largest gold coin measures 80 cm in diameter and was created by the Perth Mint in 2012: it is worth 870 thousand euros.
Yesterday's facts ...
The biggest nugget in history is the Welcome Stranger.
It was found in 1869 by two miners at the roots of a tree outside the mine and weighed 71 kg.
To transport it, it was split into 3 pieces.
Today it would be worth almost 4 million euros.
In the past, man had such a high regard for gold that he added it to food and drink, convinced of obtaining eternal life.
In the world there are a couple of examples of Fazioli “Gold Leaf” piano, in pure 24 carat gold.
A sunken treasure has been lying at the bottom of the Caribbean Sea near the coasts of Colombia since 1708; this is the San Josè galleon which could contain from 4 to 17 billion gold, silver and emeralds from the mines of Peru.
The largest gold object currently known is the statue of Buddha found in Thailand in the Bangkok temple: forged between the 13th and 15th centuries, it is 3.9 meters high and 3.1 meters wide. Its total weight is 5 tons.
Olympic gold medals were produced in pure gold until 1912; today they contain only 1.34% gold, which is equivalent to about 6 grams. Their value to date is around € 300.
... And today
All of our hi-tech devices contain small amounts of Gold.
Gold particles inside cancer cells can help kill cancer. Scientists have tried to use gold to fight it, but getting the material inside tumors is a challenge.
The new method uses polyethylene glycol as the ionic gold distribution vector.
An edible version of the “gold leaf” has also been made and is used to decorate sweets or other types of food.
Gold can be used in skyscraper windows to reduce the heat generated by sunlight.
The most expensive bathroom in the world – 29 million dollars – is in Hong Kong: it is made of solid 24 carat gold and covered with precious gems.
The most expensive bottle of water in the world is worth 60,000 euros; contains 750 ml of water and is made of solid 24 karat gold.
The true value of an Oscar statuette is around $ 295; is made of Britannia metal plated with copper, nickel, silver and 24 carat gold.
Linguistic / semantic curiosities
The word “Carato” comes from the Greek “Keration”. Originally it indicated a measure of weight and not of purity: Keration was the pod of the carob, a leguminous plant, whose seeds weigh, each, a fifth of a gram.
The word “Gold” comes from the Anglo-Saxon word “Gelo” which means “Yellow”.
The chemical symbol of Gold (AU) derives from the Latin “Aurum”.
The irrational fear of Gold is called AUROPHOBIA.
