If you wear valuable pieces of jewellery made with gold, or you have it in mind to buy one, then it generates certain questions. Contemporarily, there is an immense use of gold in producing innumerable things. Hence, you might be discombobulated about whether gold is flammable.
Is Gold Flammable?
No. Gold is not flammable. However, the costly metal melts when heated, and this explains why a single gold bar can be used multiple times. Most flammable substances are liquid and they kindle at 199.4 degrees Fahrenheit, but gold doesn’t possess any of these characteristics.
Gold is considered being one of the most sought after valuable resources. It is used to make common pieces of jewellery like Earrings, Bangles, Rings, Chains, Bracelets, Pendants and so on that an average individual makes use of. You need to know about gold and how it is made, its properties, why it is inflammable and what they use it for.
This will help you get familiar with gold, to make you know how to handle it if you possess it, and also know if you are to avoid burning gold or not.
What is Gold and How is it Produced?
Gold is a metallic element belonging to the family of noble metals. It is not a regular metal that is found randomly. Gold is naturally different, more expensive and rare. The beautiful gem does not react with other compounds or elements.
Gold has made some countries stupendously wealthy because of its high demand and uses in the universe. South Africa, China and Russia are the best mining gold countries in the world. When gold was discovered is unknown, but it has existed for over 5500 years.
At one point or the other, almost everyone has or had a gold item as a property, ranging from expensive wristwatches to neck chains. You might have marvelled at how gold is created and used to produce several pieces of jewellery. The Golden Yellow Metal cannot be produced randomly.
Gold is a natural substance that is mined but processed into gold bars to sell or reheat to create other things. Theoretically, gold can be formed by fusion, fission and radioactive decay which are all nuclear processes.
Gold cannot be produced via alchemy or chemistry. Gold is a natural, valuable metal obtained from gold minerals that can be found in rocks, around, and in volcanoes.
What are the Properties of Gold, and why is it inflammable?
Gold has the “Au” chemical symbol and 196.967 atomic mass and molecular weight with almost 200 mass numbers.
The colour of gold is golden yellow, which is usually shiny, solid, and polished. The valuable metal has a 1947.52° Fahrenheit melting point and a 5136° Fahrenheit boiling point.
Gold has 79 electrons, 118 neutrons, and 79 protons. Pure gold is designated at 24 carats, which makes it one of the most valuable special gems in the world. A single gram of pure gold costs up to 40 dollars.
Gold is not flammable because it has “inert” electrons. These electrons make it impossible for gold to react with any substance.
Since oxygen can cause other things to burn, gold won’t burn because it cannot react to oxygen. Naturally, gold won’t burn with oxygen and it remains the same even if it is melted.
What is Gold Used For?
1) For Fashion: This is one of the most common uses of gold. You must have used a gold chain or bracelet at a particular point. Gold is heavily used in fashion to create beautiful pieces of jewellery.
Since gold is valuable and elegant, it is used to create rings, bracelets, chains, wristwatches, pendants and so on, which are used for fashion. These pieces of jewellery can be made with pure gold or alloyed with other metals like platinum, palladium, silver and copper among others.
2. Monetary or Exchange Medium:
In the past, gold was used to make exchanges and as a means of payment. A certain number of gold pieces are demanded to make a purchase or to seal a deal.
Presently, some countries make use of gold to create accepted coins, used as a currency to buy commodities, make payments, and so on.
3. Aesthetic and Architectural Use: Apart from creating jewellery with gold, it is naturally glamorous and therefore it is used to create beautiful structures. Gold can also craft items like statues, golden cups, and so on.
It can also create decorative interiors found in homes. Since gold is malleable, it can be melted and beaten into any size and shape to create anything.
4. Electrical Use: Apart from gold being inflammable, gold, unlike other metals, doesn’t rust. It is used to protect against corrosion. Watch gears, artificial limb joints, junk jewellery and electrical connectors can be created with gold.
It is used in coating electrical copper components because it is an excellent conductor of electricity.
Conclusion.
We have explained all the uses and properties of gold. Gold is not flammable, no matter what is used for. Albeit, gold can be melted by heat and reused to create other things. Using gold differs from one person to another. Some may choose to use gold for aesthetic reasons, while others buy gold as jewellery. For whatever it is used for, gold is not flammable.
So, if you have any gold item and you wish you could burn off for a new one, it can be melted to create another piece of jewellery. You don’t need to worry about your gold getting burnt. Since it is not flammable, you can keep gold for as long as possible with no damage.
Which use of gold fascinates you the most? Have you tried burning your gold items? If yes, did it burn? You can drop a comment to share your opinions.
