10 Fascinating things you didn’t know about gold

The evolution of gold’s many uses has come a long way. Gold proved itself like no other metal. Check out these extraordinary gold factoids and see if you knew at least 3 out of 10!

1. The age old quest of Alchemy to transform lead into gold was finally achieved in 1972, when Soviet physicists discovered a reaction that turned the lead shielding of an experimental nuclear reactor into gold.
2. Gold rush in space? Eros, the asteroid studied by NASA in 1999 contains more gold than have ever been excavated on Earth. That is 20,000 million tons of gold along with similar amounts of silver, platinum just from 1 little asteroid. The potential is remarkable!
3. The word “Gold“ originated from the Old English word for yellow – ‘geolu’.
4. Did you know that Gold is a Lubricant? Not that kind of lubricant! Gold is often used as a lubricant between mechanical parts in space, where organic lubricants brake down due to radiation.



5. There are micro-organisms that poop gold. Researchers are investigating how to genetically enhance Ralstonia metallidurans, a gold precipitating bacterium to process large quantities of gold.
6. There are roughly 160 billion lbs of gold dissolved in seawater. However, the cost of extracting that gold from the ocean is higher than it’s worth.
7. Gold alloy catalysts are replacing platinum and helping reduce the cost of fuel cell systems.



8. Gold Water Purification. Recent research has revealed that gold nanoparticles can break down poisonous groundwater pollutants. Gold converts the toxic to non-toxic components instead of trapping them in the filter.
9. Gold reflects infrared (heat) radiation better than any other metal. Astronaut helmet visors contain 24K gold film that helps to protects the eyes without interfering with vision. Gold plated mylar blankets cover many spacecraft and satellites to prevent overheating. F-16 Fighter Jets canopies are coated with gold for classified reasons, presumably to minimize radar signature.
10. A radioactive isotope of gold (¹⁹⁸Au) is used for treating cancer. When injected into the body it can specifically home in on tumor cells and destroy them with minimal collateral damage.
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Filed Under: weird uses for gold