Precious Metals - History, Gold, Occurrence, Placer Gold, Gold Veins, Production And Uses, Silver - Future outlook
platinum mineral noble york
Gold, silver, and platinum have historically been valued for their beauty and rarity. They are the precious metals. Platinum usually costs slightly more than gold, and both metals are about 80 times more costly than silver. Precious metal weights are given in Troy ounces (named for Troyes, France, known for its fairs during the Middle Ages) a unit approximately 10% larger than 1 oz (28.35 g).
The ancients considered gold and silver to be of noble birth compared to the more abundant metals. Chemists have retained the term noble to indicate the resistance these metals have to corrosion, and their natural reluctance to combine with other elements.
Because of their rarity and unique properties, the demand for gold and platinum are expected to continue to increase. Silver is more closely tied to industry, and the demand for silver is expected to rise and fall with economic conditions.
Resources
Books
Boyle, Robert. Gold History and Genesis of Deposits. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1987.
Kesler, Stephen. Mineral Resources, Economics and the Environment. New York: MacMillan, 1994.
Klein, C. The Manual of Mineral Science. 22nd ed. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2002.
St. John, Jeffrey. Noble Metals. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, 1984.
Additional Topics
The legends of King Midas and Jason's search for the golden fleece hint at prehistoric mankind's early fascination with precious metals. The proof comes in the gold and silver treasure found in ancient Egyptian tombs and even older Mesopotamian burial sites. The course of recorded history also shows twists and turns influenced to a large degree by precious metals. It was Greek silver…
Placer gold is derived from gold-bearing rock from which the metal has been freed by weathering. Gravity and running water then combine to separate the dense grains of golds from the much lighter rock fragments. Rich concentrations of gold can develop above deeply weathered gold veins as the lighter rock is washed away. The "Welcome Stranger" from the gold fields of Victoria, Austral…
Silver is a brilliant white metal and the best metal in terms of thermal and electrical conductivity. Its chemical symbol, Ag, is derived from its Latin name, argentum, meaning "white and shining." Silver is not nearly as precious, dense, or noble as gold or platinum. The ease with which old silverware tarnishes is an example of its chemical reactivity. Although native silver is foun…
Platinum, like silver, is a beautiful silver-white metal. Its chemical symbol is Pt and its name comes from the Spanish world for silver (plata), with which it was originally confused. Its specific gravity of 21.45 exceeds that of gold, and, like gold, it is found in pure metallic chunks in stream placers. The average crustal abundance of platinum is comparable to that of gold. The melting point o…
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