Naked Science Forum

Non Life Sciences => Chemistry => Topic started by: ScientificSorcerer on 25/04/2013 05:41:53

Title: What can gold bond with?
Post by: ScientificSorcerer on 25/04/2013 05:41:53

What can you do with gold except make jewelry, it turns out that gold is good for electronics In more then just one way.  Have you ever heard that mono atomic gold is a superconductor, the only problem with it is that its like a fine sand so you couldn't use it for much of anything.  what if you could bond it with something to make the worlds first ever useful room temperature superconductor?  mono-atomic gold is very wrapped in mysticism and probably a lot of lies, but its superconductivity is a verifiable
fact.

It's Superconductivity is really all I'm interested in, my only question is what could gold in it's mono-atomic form or it's normal form, bond with.  As far as I know gold is a pretty inert element and can't bond with much of anything.  I know gold cant oxidize to make a complex oxide nor mix with copper to get superconductivity. but it's got to be-able to bond with something right?

to answer that question I need the help of a metallurgist, chemist or alchemist.
if you are any of these things please leave a comment.

Title: Re: what can gold bond with?
Post by: damocles on 25/04/2013 07:20:39

Gold can bond with chlorine to form gold(I) chloride -- AuCl -- gold(III) chloride --AuCl₃ -- or chlorauric acid -- HAuCl₄.
It also bonds with fluorine.
Gold is sometimes found in nature as a telluride.
Gold can also form alloys with silver or platinum. These are not of any particular composition, but rather in the form of "solid solutions".

But "monatomic gold" is almost certainly a scam or urban myth.

As far as superconductivity is concerned, gold is a very unpromising material in any form. High temperature (Type 2) superconductors are ceramic materials with very complex formulas; The highest temperature metallic (Type 1) superconductor is Nb with a critical temperature of 9.25 K.

Title: Re: what can gold bond with?
Post by: evan_au on 25/04/2013 07:59:53

The early superconductors were 3D superconductors.
Some of the later discoveries seemed to be 2D superconductors, which operated at much higher temperatures.
There was a joke at that time that we could probably develop room-temperature superconductors, but they would be 0D superconductors (ie unable to conduct any current anywhere).

Title: Re: what can gold bond with?
Post by: damocles on 25/04/2013 09:02:19

From ScientificSorceror:

Quote

  what if you could bond it with something to make the worlds first ever useful room temperature superconductor?  mono-atomic gold is very wrapped in mysticism and probably a lot of lies, but its superconductivity is a verifiable
fact.

I am very interested in this. Can you indicate to me a reference (to a peer-reviewed scientific paper) where this has been verified? I do know that gold has found wide application in semiconductor technology as contacts, and as a thin coating on aircraft windows to prevent static electricity build-up, but I had always imagined that this was due to its normal conductivity rather than any hint of superconductivity. Silver is the best conductor of electricity with copper 2nd best and gold a close 3rd, but gold trumps silver or copper because of its corrosion resistance, and because of its extreme malleability.

Title: Re: what can gold bond with?
Post by: lightarrow on 27/04/2013 22:01:20

Quote from: ScientificSorcerer on 25/04/2013 05:41:53

What can you do with gold except make jewelry, it turns out that gold is good for electronics In more then just one way.  Have you ever heard that mono atomic gold is a superconductor, the only problem with it is that its like a fine sand so you couldn't use it for much of anything.  what if you could bond it with something to make the worlds first ever useful room temperature superconductor?  mono-atomic gold is very wrapped in mysticism and probably a lot of lies, but its superconductivity is a verifiable
fact.

It's Superconductivity is really all I'm interested in, my only question is what could gold in it's mono-atomic form or it's normal form, bond with.  As far as I know gold is a pretty inert element and can't bond with much of anything.  I know gold cant oxidize to make a complex oxide nor mix with copper to get superconductivity. but it's got to be-able to bond with something right?

to answer that question I need the help of a metallurgist, chemist or alchemist.
if you are any of these things please leave a comment.

There's something I don't understand: monoatomic gold or anything else is something made of individual,  separated atoms. If they are separated, what does it mean that they "conduct"?

Title: Re: what can gold bond with?
Post by: Bored chemist on 28/04/2013 13:19:20

"mono-atomic gold is very wrapped in mysticism and probably a lot of lies, but its superconductivity is a verifiable fact."
Before we go any further.
Please show that this is a fact and that it has been verified.
A peer reviewed publication would be good.

Even a video of diamagnetic levitation would be a step forward.

Title: Re: what can gold bond with?
Post by: cheryl j on 29/04/2013 01:51:00

Our high school chemistry teacher warned us not to get mercury on our gold jewelry.