Gold has been known since prehistoric times. It may have been the first metal used by humans and was valued for ornamentation and rituals. Egyptian hieroglyphs from as early as 2600 BC describe gold.
Name: Gold
Symbol: Au
Atomic number: 79
Atomic weight: 196.97
State: solid
Group, period, block: 11, 6, d
Color: metallic yellow
Classification: transition metal
Electron configuration: 4f14 5d10 6s1
2,8,18,32,18,1
Physical properties
Density: 19.30 g/cm-3
Melting point: 1337.33 K, 1064.18 °C, 1947.52 °F
Boiling point: 3129 K, 2856 °C, 5173 °F
Atomic properties
Oxidation states: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, -1, -2
Electronegativity: 2.54 (Pauling scale)
Ionization energies: 1st: 890.1 kJ·mol-1
Covalent radius: 136±6 pm
Van der Waals radius: 166 pm
- Au
Electron Configuration
Isotopes
There is one naturally occurring isotope of gold exists, 197Au.