From our earliest times, gold has been treasured for its unique physical attributes, its undeniable beauty, and its consistent transferable value across cultures and times. But beyond the ornamental — coins, jewellery, artwork — gold has become valuable to scientists and inventors working on the frontiers of human knowledge.
Gold’s conductivity, reflectivity, resistance to corrosion, and relative malleability make it ideally suited to several experimental and cutting-edge applications.
In this article, we’ll talk about how gold can play a crucial role in the world of electronics, medicine, aerospace and more. This is good news if you’ve got gold and are hoping to sell at a decent price; this precious metal isn’t going out of demand anytime soon, which means taking the time to find a reputable and authorized bullion dealer can really pay off.
Gold Can Power Quantum Computing
Like other precious metals, gold is an excellent conductor of heat and electricity. It’s extremely non-reactive, does not tarnish or corrode, and being so malleable, it can be shaped to support thin and delicate instruments.
Gold also retains all of that valuable conductivity even when temperatures plummet. Very low temperatures are required for revolutionary quantum processors; in fact, according to IBM engineer Richard Hopkins, they’ll “only work if they’re almost absolute zero, colder than outer space.” For that reason, IBM’s ‘System One’ quantum computer is made of gold “to ensure conductivity.” In other words, coating things with gold will reflect the heat away from the sensitive chip.
Gold Can Protect the Aerospace Industry
We mentioned above how gold is a good electrical conductor that does not corrode. For these reasons, it can be used to maintain stable electrical connections in spacecraft (as well as satellite connectors and contacts) in the frigid vacuum of space.
Gold can be used to shield against cosmic radiation, like x-rays and gamma rays, protecting ships and personnel alike: even some space suits contain gold to block radiation and dissipate heat. If scientists didn’t use gold in space, vital equipment (like sensors, mirrors, satellites and lenses) would be damaged by extreme temperatures and inhospitable conditions.
Gold Can Purify Water
Our ground and surface water reserves are precious. Yet we’re constantly jeopardizing our health — and the health of agriculture and natural ecosystems — with organic pollutants, heavy metals, and toxins. But new processes involving gold nanoparticles have proven effective at removing some of the most dangerous of these chemicals, such as mercury, lead and cadmium. Gold nanoparticles can even effectively remove dangerous pesticides.
Gold Can Help Us Fight Cancer
In cancer treatments, it’s all too easy to affect healthy parts of the body when trying to target unhealthy cells. Gold nanoparticles can transmit therapeutic agents to cancerous (or malignant) cells with amazing accuracy. This means fewer side effects and far fewer wasted medications.
These particles are also used as contrast agents in medical imaging since they can be designed to seep into or bind directly to tumors. Once they do, tumors stand out in far greater contrast, allowing doctors to make better diagnoses.
The range of gold’s scientific applications goes well beyond those listed here. If you’re holding onto gold and considering selling, start your search today. The demand for gold means not having to settle for a disappointing selling price — and it’s genuinely fascinating to think that your gold might one day be transformed and used in one of these exciting fields.
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