Gold | Chemistry

John Taylor Collegiate, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Gold, 79, John Taylor Collegiate, Winnipeg MB

Gold: The design representing the element gold was created by Miss Paragg’s Grade 11 Chemistry Class at John Taylor Collegiate, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Our class first considered the properties of gold that make it an attractive, highly valued, and desirable metal: it’s the most malleable and ductile of all metals; it’s a good conductor of heat and electricity; does not tarnish; pure gold is soft and has a beautiful lustre. We then discussed what gold is used to represent in today’s society: strength, honour, courage, greatness, achievement, success, and pride. The final design represents a time where Canada felt all of these qualities — the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games.

Melanie Paragg, John Taylor Collegiate, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Atomic properties*

Name:

Gold

Symbol:

Au

Atomic number:

79

Atomic mass:

196.97 amu

Melting point:

1064.18ºC

Boiling point:

2856ºC

Density:

19.3 g/cm³

Electronegativity:

2.4

# of Isotopes:

2

State:

Solid

Colour:

Golden-yellow**

Classification:

Metallic**

* Haynes, W. M. (2011). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 91st edition: http://www.hbcponline.com/ Retrieved April 7, 2011

** Winter, M. (2010). Home of the Periodic Table. Retrieved April 8, 2011, from Web Elements: http://www.webelements.com/