12 Facts You Probably Never Knew About Gold

Gold is the 79th element on the Periodic Table of the Elements. It’s atomic symbol may not be very recognizable, though. Gold is abbreviated Au for the Latin word for gold: aurum. “Aurum” also translates as shining dawn. The word “gold” is an Anglo-Saxon word only adopted later in history.A bar of gold like the kind kept in Fort Knox is 99.95-percent pure. This is more pure than most jewelry. 12-karat gold, for instance, contains only 50-percent gold. The other 50-percent is a blend of alloys.