Gold

Symbol: Au

Atomic Number: 79

Atomic Weight: 196.96655

Gold (symbol Au, atomic number 79) has it's name from the Latin "Aurum", which means shining dawn. What formed this association is not known, because gold has been known to man since antiquity or about 5,500 years. Perhaps the lustrous, shiny, and attractive metal was found by someone early in the morning glittering somewhere and this person, enticed by what they saw, gave it this name. This is a pity, because "why is gold Au and not G" is the standard question of chemistry students, who are baffled by the odd symbol and even more baffled by what Aurum could...Read More