Gold's great virtues of malleability, ductility, reflectivity, resistance to corrosion and unparalleled ability as a thermal and electrical conductor mean it is used in a wide variety of industrial applications consuming close to 300 tonnes annually. Gold (Au, from Latin "Aurum" (World Book Dictionary) is the most non-reactive of all metals -- it is benign in all natural and industrial environments. Gold never reacts with oxygen (one of the most active elements), which means it will …showed first 75 words of 2564 total…

…showed last 75 words of 2564 total…extremely important to man. This will prove especially true in the information and space age. Its ductility, malleability, reflectivity, resistance to corrosion and unparalleled ability as a thermal and electrical conductor will insure that it remains as important as it is today. References Gold Institute,1996, http://www.goldinstitute.com/facts.html Richmont-Mines, http://www.richmont-mines.com/en/nugget.htm World Book Dictionary, Volume one, 1990, pg. 133 World Gold Council, http://www.gold.org/pages/indu1.html