Gold has many uses, and its purity is measured in carats. Here is some interesting information about gold:
- Gold is a chemical element, with symbol Au.
- Chemically pure gold, under normal conditions, is dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile yellow solid metal.
- It is one of the less active chemical elements. For this reason, it is often found in the free elemental form, usually in the form of nuggets or grains, between rocks and “veins”.
- In addition to their widespread use in coins and jewelry, gold also has many other practical applications, in dentistry, electronics and other fields. The advantages of using it are that it has great ductility, resistance to the effects of most chemicals and corrosion and has a high electrical conductivity. All of this helps it to have a great economic value.
- It is usually alloyed with base metals for use in jewelry because of its softness and price.
- Its purity is measured with carats (24 carat is pure gold). Lower carat alloys, typically 22k, 18k, 14k or 10k, contain higher levels of copper or other base metals or silver or palladium in the alloy.
- For investment purposes, many gold holders store it in the form of coins or gold bars (usually 24 or 22 carats) as a hedge against inflation or other economic shocks.