Gold is the most malleable and ductile of all metals; a single gram can be beaten into a sheet of 1 square meter, or an ounce into 300 square feet. Gold leaf can be beaten thin enough to become translucent. The transmitted light appears greenish blue, because gold strongly reflects yellow and red.

*The chemical symbol for gold is Au.

ALLOYS Alloys are metals with other elements in it. For most uses of gold the pure metal is too soft on its own and is therefore hardened by the addition of alloying elements, copper, silver, nickel, palladium and zinc. Gold is of course yellow and the various colours seen such as red, white and green are simply alloys of gold. The final colour is dependent on the ratios and type of alloys added.

Some common alloys: *brass *stainless steel *steel *bronze

Jewellery Medicine Food Drink Industry Electronics

Aluminium is a soft, durable, lightweight, malleable metal. ALUMINIUM

Aluminium Alloys Aluminium alloys mixtures of aluminium with other metals often with copper, zinc, manganese, silicon, or magnesium

What can be made from aluminium? *cans *saucepans *cookery tools