Description
Pure gold is a precious metal and is a dense but soft metal, slightly harder than zinc. Before it can be used, it must be refined, and for most purposes, it is alloyed with other materials to harden it. The purity of gold for jewelry is measured in carats; pure gold is 24 carats. Common purity levels in the Netherlands are 14 carat (58.3% gold), 18 carat (75%), and 22 carat (91.7%). A simple mnemonic is to approximate 1 carat as 4% pure gold. Gold has long been considered a valuable metal. Egyptian hieroglyphs from the 26th century BC already mention gold as a means of payment. Until about the mid-20th century AD, gold was still frequently used for coins. In ancient times, gold was not only known for its value but also possessed magical properties and served as a symbol of purity. Alchemists have long sought the philosopher's stone, a way to transform other materials into gold. Their failure to do so is easily explained by current understanding of atomic structure. In the 19th century, numerous gold deposits were discovered, particularly in the United States and Australia, leading to the gold rushes. Gold has been present on Earth since the planet's formation, but it wasn't formed on Earth because its production requires fusion reactions. Nuclear fusion reactions occur in the cores of stars, but these reactions don't provide enough energy to produce gold. Stars that are sufficiently massive (from about eight times the mass of the Sun) end their lives in a supernova explosion. During this explosion, heavy metals, including gold, are formed through nuclear reactions.
Gold diggers.
