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Gold

Element 79 · Transition metal

Specimen

Atomic number
79
Atomic mass
196.97
State at room temperature
Solid
Melting point
1,064 °C
Boiling point
2,856 °C
Density
19.28 g/cm³
Discovered
Ancient

Atomic mass from IUPAC.1 Other physical data from PubChem.2

Can I eat it?

In food and water
Allowed in food. The UK allows gold as food additive E175. The body does not use gold, and the metal is not toxic. 34

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The atom

Au
ShellElectrons
1 (K) 2
2 (L) 8
3 (M) 18
4 (N) 32
5 (O) 18
6 (P) outermost 1
Total79

Configuration [Xe] 4f¹⁴ 5d¹⁰ 6s¹

4f ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓
5d ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓
6s ↑
A shell diagram: each ring is an electron shell and each dot is one electron. The nucleus holds 79 protons. The outermost shell is shown in red. Electrons do not travel on rings: they fill orbitals, regions where an electron is likely to be found. The boxes are those orbitals for the electrons outside the Xe core, with one arrow per electron.

Related elements

Group 11
Cu Copper Ag Silver Rg Roentgenium

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Sources

  1. 1

    IUPAC Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights (CIAAW), 2024. Abridged Standard Atomic Weights 2024 .

    The atomic mass shown for the 84 elements that have a standard atomic weight.

  2. 2

    National Center for Biotechnology Information (PubChem), 2026. Periodic Table of Elements .

    Electron configuration, melting and boiling points, density and discovery year for all 118 elements.

  3. 3

    Food Standards Agency (UK), 2026. Approved additives and E numbers .

    • E175 Gold
  4. 4

    Royal Society of Chemistry, Periodic Table, 2026. Gold - Element information, properties and uses .

    Reference page; its Biological role and Natural abundance sections are quoted.

    • Gold has no known biological role, and is non-toxic.
  5. 5

    National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), 2026. Atomic Weights and Isotopic Compositions for All Elements .

    Isotopic composition of each element; the most abundant isotope sets the neutron count in the nucleus view.