Gold

Atomic number

79

Atomic mass (u)

196.96657

Category

Transition metal

Standard state

Solid

Melting point

1064.18 °C (1337.33 K)

Boiling point

2855.85 °C (3129 K)

Density (g/cm³)

19.282

Electronegativity (Pauling)

2.54

Electron configuration

[Xe]6s1 4f14 5d10

Oxidation states

+3, +1

Atomic radius (pm)

166

First ionization energy (eV)

9.226

Discovery & recognition

Discovery year / period (PubChem)

Ancient

Discovery credited to (RSC)

No individual discoverer recorded by this source

Date or period recorded by RSC

approx 3000BC

Discovery place

Known since antiquity; no single first-discovery place is established.

An ancient date does not identify a first human discovery. Different references may date observation, isolation and formal recognition differently.

Natural occurrence & production

The creation of an element’s nuclei and its concentration into terrestrial deposits are different processes. The occurrence note below concerns its presence or production on Earth; it is not a complete account of nucleosynthesis.

“Gold is one of the few elements to occur in a natural state.”

Royal Society of Chemistry · occurrence excerpt ↗

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Reference values are not product specifications. Blank values have not been estimated. For superheavy elements, some properties and family assignments are theoretical or incompletely measured.