Industrial uses
Gold, like other important industrial metals, has some unique physical and chemical attributes that mean it is the best material for certain industrial applications.
Gold is very ductile and for some electronic components like bonding wires, the ability to draw gold alloys into extremely thin diameters without breaking is a critical property in the manufacturing process. Gold is also extremely malleable, so in the annealed state it can be hammered cold into a translucent wafer 0.000013 cm thick.
One ounce of gold can be beaten into a sheet covering over 9 square metres and 0.000018 cm thick. Gold has excellent thermal and electrical conductivity, so it makes efficient wires and contacts in electronics, transporting electrical signals efficiently and conducting heat away from critical components. With its high corrosion resistance, the gold found in electronic contacts remains free from tarnish or oxidation.
Gold-alloys used in dental work are proven to be durable and long-lasting and gold has excellent biocompatibility (it is non-toxic), so allergic reactions to a gold-based dental implant are extremely rare.
