5 Amazing Technological Uses for Gold

Recent technological developments have allowed scientists to discover new ways to use gold in high technology fields. Whether it is improving electronics creating new energy sources gold is becoming increasingly important to our everyday lives.

1. A Treatment for Cancer
Research into how gold can be used to treat cancer is being undertaken by scientists around the world. By using small pellets of gold doctors are able to treat prostate cancer. The gold is used to improve cancer treatment procedures by increasing the precision of the radiation dose and accuracy of targeting the treatment area. Gold is used because it shows up very well on x-ray imaging.

2. Advanced Chemical Processing
Gold is used to produce important chemicals by acting as a catalyst. By using gold in chemical processing, improvements have been made in chemical production, food production and many other commercial materials. The most important development has been the improved efficiencies to the production of gluconic acid. Gluconic acid is used as a food and beverage additive and 60,000 tonnes are produced each year.

3. Innovative Electroplating
Because gold is such a conductive metal it is used to produce high quality circuit boards. There are three main ways to gold plate an item:

• Electroplating - An electric current is passed through a solution containing gold ions which are attractive to the cathode.
• Electroless Plating - No electricity is required. Instead a chemical is used to convert gold ions to metal.
• Immersion Plating - A more reactive metal is used to displace gold ions from solution.

Because gold is such a conductive metal a high volume of the gold used in electronics production is for producing contacts and connectors.

4. Sophisticated Fuel Cells
Gold is used to produce pure hydrogen from natural gas, propane and biogas in fuel cells. Fuel cells are the future of power storage and are already have widespread use in space and military applications. Analysts predict that as their cost decreases fuel cells will become increasingly prevalent in everyday life.

5. Space Exploration
Gold has been being used in space missions for some time one. The reason that gold is so important is that it's reflective, conductive and corrosion resistance qualities are essential when designing crafts to go into space.

Because it is such a good reflector of heat and infra-red radiation, space engineers wrap a gold-coated film around parts of equipment which are subjected to solar radiation and heat. Astronauts' helmets have a ultra thin film of gold on their surface to protect astronauts from solar radiation.

The US Columbia space shuttle used over 40kg of gold in its production! The majority of this was used for electrical contact, gold film for equipment protection and in the production of its fuel cells.

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