| Symbol | Au |
| Atomic number | 79 |
| Group | 11 (Coinage metals) |
| Period | 6 |
| Block | d |
| Classification | Transition Metal |
| Appearance | Metallic yellow |
| Color | Gold |
| Number of protons | 79 p+ |
| Number of neutrons | 118 n0 |
| Number of electrons | 79 e- |
| Phase at STP | Solid |
| Density | 19.3 g/cm3 |
| Atomic weight | 196.967 u |
| Melting point | 1337.33 K 1064.18 °C 1947.524 °F |
| Boiling point | 3243 K 2969.85 °C 5377.73 °F |
| Heat of vaporization | 324.43 kJ/mol |
| Electronegativity (Pauling Scale) | 2.54 |
| Electron affinity | 222.747 kJ/mol |
| Oxidation states | −3, −2, −1, 0, +1, +2, +3, +5 (an amphoteric oxide) |
| Ionization energies |
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| Discovery | Levant (6000 BC) |
Discovery of gold The earliest recorded metal employed by humans appears to be gold, which can be found free or "native". Small amounts of natural gold have been found in Spanish caves used during the late Paleolithic period, c. 40,000 BC. Gold artifacts probably made their first appearance in Ancient Egypt at the very beginning of the pre-dynastic period, at the end of the fifth millennium BC and the start of the fourth, and smelting was developed during the course of the 4th millennium; gold artifacts appear in the archeology of Lower Mesopotamia during the early 4th millennium. The earliest gold artifacts were discovered at the site of Wadi Qana in the Levant. | |