How Does Industry Make Use Of Gold?
Thursday, 22 July 2010 08:24 | 
Author: Jack Wogan |
Apart from being a good investment opportunity and being used in the jewelery department, gold is a very important staple for many branches of industry. Every year, over 400 tons of gold are used for such purposes, which amounts to about 11% of the global gold demand. That happens because of its unique combination of characteristics that make it basically irreplaceable.
Apart from being a good investment opportunity and being used in the jewelery department, gold is a very important staple for many branches of industry. Every year, over 400 tons of gold are used for such purposes, which amounts to about 11% of the global gold demand. That happens because of its unique combination of characteristics that make it basically irreplaceable.
Gold is a very good electrical and thermal conductor. It is malleable, extremely ductile and resistant to wear, so a tiny amount goes a long way. Being safe against all oxidant and corrosive processes, it is very profitable and remains free of tarnish even after a long period of time. Its only disadvantage is that it is rather soft, so it must often be alloyed with stronger metals, like silver, platinum or cobalt.
Being such an efficient conductor, it is very often used in electronics, to make all sorts of connectors and contacts. You can find gold in just about every piece of electronic equipment you have, including washing machines, television sets, mobile phones and pocket calculators. Even the connectors between microprocessors and the mother board of your computer are made out of gold alloys.
The second division that utilizes important quantities of gold is aeronautics. Here, it is utilized as a lubricant between mechanical parts, because of its resistance to friction. Engineers also use it to coat space ship pieces, in order to reflect radiation and stabilize the temperature within. The visors on the astronauts' helmets are also covered in a thin layer of metal, in order to protect their eyes and skin from cosmic solar radiation.
Yet another industrial branch that makes good use of gold particles is glass-making. Small amounts are used as a pigment, giving glass a ruby color, or used for coating specialty windows for climate controlled buildings. In this case, it reflects the internal heat inward and the solar radiation and warmth outward, keeping the temperature inside constant.
Even if it is so heavily used in industry, our gold natural resources at safe, because this metal can be recycled and reused without losing its qualities. Recycled electronic devices are gathered in specialized centers and metals are extracted from them, maintaining the planet's reserves and making it safe for human kind to use gold for many years to come.
Apart from being a good investment opportunity and being used in the jewelery department, gold is a very important staple for many branches of industry. Every year, over 400 tons of gold are used for such purposes, which amounts to about 11% of the global gold demand. That happens because of its unique combination of characteristics that make it basically irreplaceable.
Gold is a very good electrical and thermal conductor. It is malleable, extremely ductile and resistant to wear, so a tiny amount goes a long way. Being safe against all oxidant and corrosive processes, it is very profitable and remains free of tarnish even after a long period of time. Its only disadvantage is that it is rather soft, so it must often be alloyed with stronger metals, like silver, platinum or cobalt.
Being such an efficient conductor, it is very often used in electronics, to make all sorts of connectors and contacts. You can find gold in just about every piece of electronic equipment you have, including washing machines, television sets, mobile phones and pocket calculators. Even the connectors between microprocessors and the mother board of your computer are made out of gold alloys.
The second division that utilizes important quantities of gold is aeronautics. Here, it is utilized as a lubricant between mechanical parts, because of its resistance to friction. Engineers also use it to coat space ship pieces, in order to reflect radiation and stabilize the temperature within. The visors on the astronauts' helmets are also covered in a thin layer of metal, in order to protect their eyes and skin from cosmic solar radiation.
Yet another industrial branch that makes good use of gold particles is glass-making. Small amounts are used as a pigment, giving glass a ruby color, or used for coating specialty windows for climate controlled buildings. In this case, it reflects the internal heat inward and the solar radiation and warmth outward, keeping the temperature inside constant.
Even if it is so heavily used in industry, our gold natural resources at safe, because this metal can be recycled and reused without losing its qualities. Recycled electronic devices are gathered in specialized centers and metals are extracted from them, maintaining the planet's reserves and making it safe for human kind to use gold for many years to come.
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