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History of elements discovery
History of elements discovery
History of elements discovery
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Gold is a natural element found in our world [5]. It is a metallic and non-toxic element that has unique chemical and physical properties [2, 5]. Gold has the symbol Au and it has the atomic number 79 which means the number of protons and electrons is also 79 and it has 118 neutrons [5]. It has existed since 3000 BC and it still exists in the world today [4, 5]. Gold is one of the oldest and most used metals in our world [1, 4]. It has positive and negative effects that affect our world and our environment [1]. Gold is used in many things that help our future to advance more in every way [1].
The creation of gold has been recently discovered by scientists and it is remarkable [2]. Scientist has discovered that gold didn’t come from the earth, but from space [2]. It is created by the collision of two dead neutron stars and it was combined with earth when it was forming [2]. The collision between the two dead neutron stars caused a gamma-ray burst which created gold in the process [2]. 2/3 of the gold mined is found in South America, which contains the most gold ore [5]. There are four main processes to extract gold from gold ore to make is pure gold [4]. First, gold needs to be found from ore then obtained by drilling, blasting or shoveling the surrounding area [4]. Second, the gold ore or also known as gold nuggets need to be collected and processed through a machine [4]. Third, the gold ore is cleaned and processed into smaller pieces to obtain most gold minerals [4]. Lastly, the gold and the ore are separated using one of the methods, floatation, cyanidation, or carbon-in-pulp [4]. Then the ore is placed in a solution and the gold is now pure gold [4]. Gold can also be refined by electrolysis or a smelting process [4, 5].
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... [3]. The eucalyptus tree leaves contain gold, which can help our resources to increase [3]. Gold cost more than $1300 an ounce, but more people are still willing to buy it at a higher price [3]. This is a problem because it is hard to find gold and to produce it will take time [3, 4]. This can be resolved by reducing the use of gold and use more gold alloy which is less expensive [1, 3]. Pure gold can be used, but should be used less to save more money and gold [1, 3, 5].
To conclude, gold is a rare and natural element that has rare properties [1, 2, 4, 5]. It has negative and positive effects that affect our world and the environment [1, 5]. Gold should be continued to be used at a reduced rate to increase the less use of gold and save it more [1, 4, 5]. It has not only changed our technology, but it made it more advance for many things to be used and protect [1].
The fortune of silver and gold discovered in Colorado’s mountains were locked inside complex ores consisting of granite, quartz and other metals that rendered them useless, unless they could be separated (Egan. NPS). Miners originally imported stamp mills and Spanish arrastras to extract the gold and silver but both these methods were inefficient and lost upwards of 70 percent of the sought after mineral (NPS). In 1867, chemistry professor Nathanial P. Hill discovered an efficient method called the Swansea process to separate the precious metals and opened the Boston Colorado Smelter in Blackhawk (NPS).
During the gold rush, almost everyone traveled to the western coast in hopes of becoming rich for the very same reason. This affected the United States economically because certain regions or areas would produce specific products such as cattle products or dried meat. These products would boost export, and the California trade with other countries or nations by doing that the economy would grow.This would cause different types of people to live in separate areas depending on wealth or trade that the family specified in.
Gold is one of the most valuable materials all around the world. This jewel has its own glittering appearance and shiny color which induce people to desire to possess it. That’s probably why Europeans in the middle age have explored new continents and invaded other civilizations to find this glittering material. Americans also had given much endeavor to mine that valuable jewel in the time of gold rush. Investigating these events, gold has immensely affected the world history; the Age of Exploration, invasions of Spaniards, and the development of California.
Adam smith wrote in his masterpiece, the wealth of nations, “It is the necessary, though very slow and gradual consequence of a certain propensity in human nature which has in view no such extensive utility; the propensity to truck, barter, and exchange one thing for another”. This propensity in human nature led to the development of currency – a medium of exchange accepted by a community of people. For centuries gold and silver were used around the world as currency; in 1834 the United States, formerly on a bimetallic standard, converted to a gold de facto standard. This policy made it so the dollar was backed by gold at a ratio of $20.67 per ounce. The Gold standard was used until August 15, 1971 when President Richard Nixon announced that the United States would no longer redeem currency for gold. (Bordo, n.d.) Instead a fiat monetary system – currency not backed by gold – would be used. Both systems have their advantages and
Gold bears quite a number of chemical properties that I will discuss in details down here. These point out on how gold behaves at various conditions. The chemical formula of gold is Au which is derived from its chemical name. When it comes to gold’s activity, it is not chemically active. This means that it greatly resists any kind of chemical reaction. In most cases, it rarely reacts with other chemicals. Gold is easily reduced from a compound to become a metal. It has two main compounds. These compounds are the Chloral-auric acid as well as the auric chloride. When we come to how gold reacts with certain acids, it is clear that there is an acid that is very able to dissolve this element. This acid is known as Aqua regia and is a combination of hydrochloric and nitric acids. Gold is not able to react with non-metals. Under this case, it only reacts with halogens and forms what is known as halides. The main alloys that can be used to make gold harder include platinum metal and silver (Tocci,
-Discuss the silver vs. gold argument, listing at least one argument for silver and one argument for gold.
“In the years which followed the gold discoveries, society was not stratified. Moral and religious principles were often disregarded, and all kinds of irregular situations could be found.”3
The gold standard was a commitment from participating countries to set their currencies in terms of specified amounts of gold. The country’s government allows its currency to be converted into a set amount of gold and vice verse. The main benefit of a gold standard is to help keep inflation low since it is caused by changes in the supply and demand of money and goods. The government cannot print too much money because the supply of money would increase, but the value of gold would remain the same and eventually would result in the treasury running out of gold. This is tricky because the government could not increase the amount of money in circulation without also increasing the country’s gold reserves. The extensive use of the gold standard implies a system of fixed exchange rates where gold is really the only
Let us briefly suppose that I recently bought a new gold watch. I was particularly happy that my watch was made of the finest, and rarest, gold in the area. Suppose, though, that one day I passed the factory where it was made, and ...
Though I will summarize most of the unethical issues with gold mining, many of the same unethical issues apply to most mining. Because it creates an enormous amount of toxic waste and is considered as one of the most environmentally destructive forms of mining, gold mining cause more than a few issues with the ecosystem. Gold mining is the leading cause of manmade global mercury pollution. Many gold mines dump their toxic waste directly in natural water bodies. When one considers that to mine gold for a 0.333 ounce ring equates to 20 tons of toxic waste, the amounts of toxic waste is massive. Companies that mine for gold and other metals dump at least 180 million tons of toxic waste in rivers, lakes, and oceans every year, 1.5 times the amount of waste U.S. cities send to landfills yearly. Another ethical issue in the mining industry is labor concerns. Labor practices in gold mines are far from responsible. Most gold miners work in dangerous conditions and earn so little money that they live in poverty. The most vulnerable gold miners are the youngest; an estimated 600,000 gold miners are children. Poverty is an issue that lies beneath gold mining labor practices. Gold mining can be a path to riches but for most miners it leads to a life of poverty. About 15million people in Africa, Asia, and Latin America are artisanal gold miners. Artisanal miners use simple
Whether its commercially mining a rare ore from the ground or recreationally panning a black silt by hand, everyone likes to see the glimmering flour gold or even a nugget of gold. There are many ways of extracting the precious treasure from the earth. Panning by hand is a method used for prospecting and recreational gold hunting. Gold panning is a technique used to separate fine material form gold using water and a particular technique. A commercial mining operation may use a gold pan to prospect an area before bringing in larger more expensive mining equipment.
The yellow metal is considered one of the most valuable assets in the world and reckoned as best store of value against inflation, low interest rates, and any uncertainty. Interestingly, unlike other conventional investments, the metal neither pays dividends nor any interest to its buyers. Nonetheless, the price of gold is rising at such a torrid pace, investors usually not at loss when investing in gold business these days. Unlike old times when only queens and princess had access to the precious metal, gold is now being sold and bought in open markets in small and large quantities.
Gold is the “noblest'; of the noble metals (gold, platinum, palladium, and rhodium), so termed because of their inertness, or reluctance to enter into chemical reactions. Gold will not react with common acids but is attacked by a three-to-one mixture of hydrochloric and nitric acids. This combination is called aqua regia because it reacts with the so-called royal metal. Gold will not combine directly with oxygen, but oxides may be formed indirectly. Gold will also combine with the halogens (fluorine, chlorine bromine, and iodine) and with the cyanides.
In our days, mining for resources is inevitable. The resources we need are valuable in everyday life. Such resources mined up are coal, copper, gold, silver, and sand. However, mining poses environmental risks that can degrade the quality of soil and water, which can end up effecting us humans if not taken care of and many of the damages are irreversible once they have occurred.