MadSci Network: Chemistry
Query:

Re: How does gold react with oxygen?

Date: Wed Sep 22 09:20:40 1999
Posted By: Dan Berger, Faculty Chemistry/Science, Bluffton College
Area of science: Chemistry
ID: 937255964.Ch
Message:

How does gold react with oxygen?

In my chemistry class, we are required to test people with gold against their faces and to see which leaves a mark. I don't know what to test them for ( iron deficiency??)..it would help to know what gold reacts with and why it reacts with oxygen.


I asked Ashley for more information, but received no response. I'd be interested to know how long the students were asked to hold the "gold" against their skins. Cheap "gold" jewelry often contains a lot of copper.

This is because such jewelry is often largely brass, an alloy of copper and zinc), which will leave a green mark on the skin (copper oxides, produced by the copper reacting with skin surface moisture), but that sort of thing usually takes more than a few seconds. ("My fiancé gave me a ring that turned my finger green!")

Gold itself does not react with oxygen. In fact, electronic connectors are often gold-plated to keep them from corroding.

Dan Berger
Bluffton College
http://cs.bluffton.edu/~berger



Current Queue | Current Queue for Chemistry | Chemistry archives

Try the links in the MadSci Library for more information on Chemistry.



MadSci Home | Information | Search | Random Knowledge Generator | MadSci Archives | Mad Library | MAD Labs | MAD FAQs | Ask a ? | Join Us! | Help Support MadSci


MadSci Network, webadmin@www.madsci.org
© 1995-1999. All rights reserved.