is there anything that can ruin gold?

Gold is a metallic element with a characteristic yellow color, but can also be black or ruby when finely divided, while colloidal solutions are intensely colored and often purple. These colors are the result of gold's plasmon frequency lying in the visible range, which causes red and yellow light to be reflected, and blue light to be absorbed. Only silver colloids exhibit the same interactions with light, albeit at a shorter frequency, making silver colloids yellow in color.

It is the most malleable and ductile metal known; a single gram can be beaten into a sheet of one square meter, or an ounce into 300 square feet. Gold readily forms alloys with many other metals. These alloys can be produced to increase the hardness or to create exotic colors. Adding copper yields a redder metal, iron blue, aluminium purple, platinum metals white, and natural bismuth together with silver alloys produce black. Native gold contains usually eight to ten per cent silver, but often much more — alloys with a silver content over 20% are called electrum. As the amount of silver increases, the color becomes whiter and the specific gravity becomes lower.

Gold is a good conductor of heat and electricity, and is not affected by air and most reagents. Heat, moisture, oxygen, and most corrosive agents have very little chemical effect on gold, making it well-suited for use in coins and jewelry; conversely, halogens will chemically alter gold, and aqua regia dissolves it.

Common oxidation states of gold include +1 (gold(I) or aurous compounds) and +3 (gold(III) or auric compounds). Gold ions in solution are readily reduced and precipitated out as gold metal by the addition of virtually any other metal as the reducing agent. The added metal is oxidized and dissolves allowing the gold to be displaced from solution and be recovered as a solid precipitate.

Recent research undertaken by Sir Frank Reith of the Australian National University shows that microbes play an important role in the formation of gold deposits, transporting and precipitating gold to form grains and nuggets that collect in alluvial deposits. [1]

The concentration of free electrons in gold metal is 5.90×1022 cm-3.

Applications

Pure gold is too soft for ordinary use and is hardened by alloying with silver, copper, and other metals. Gold and its many alloys are most often used in jewelry, coinage and as a standard for monetary exchange in various countries. When selling it in the form of jewelry, gold is measured in karats (k), with pure gold being 24k. However, it is more commonly sold in lower measurements of 22k, 18k, 14k and 9k. A lower "k" indicates a higher percent of copper or silver mixed into the alloy, with copper being the more commonly used metal between the two. Fourteen karat gold-copper alloy will be nearly identical in color to certain bronze alloys, and both may be used to produce police and other badges. Eighteen karat gold with a high copper content is found in some antique jewelry and will have a distinct, though not dominant copper cast, giving an attractively warm color. A similar karat weight when alloyed with silvery metals will appear less warm in color, and some low karat white metal alloys may be sold as "white gold", silvery in appearance with a sightly yellow cast but far more resistant to corrosion than silver or sterling silver. Karat weights of twenty and higher are more common in modern jewelry. Because of its high electrical conductivity and resistance to corrosion and other desirable combinations of physical and chemical properties, gold also emerged in the late 20th century as an essential industrial metal, particularly as a thin plating on printed circuit board contacts and electrical connectors.

Gold can be made into thread and used in embroidery.

Gold is ductile and malleable meaning it is able to be drawn into very thin wire and can be beaten into very thin sheets known as Gold leaf.

Gold produces a deep, intense red color when used as a coloring agent in glass.

Gold performs critical functions in computers, communications equipment, spacecraft, jet aircraft engines, and a host of other products.

The resistance to oxidation of gold has led to its widespread use as thin layers electroplated on the surface of electrical connectors to ensure a good connection.

Gold alloys are used in restorative dentistry especially in tooth restorations such as crowns and permanent bridges as their slight malleability makes a superior molar mating surface with other teeth, unlike a harder ceramic crown. Use of gold crowns in more prominent teeth such as incisors is favored in some cultures and discouraged in others.

Colloidal gold (a gold nanoparticle) is an intensely colored solution that is currently studied in many labs for medical, biological and other applications. It is also the form used as gold paint on ceramics prior to firing.

Chlorauric acid is used in photography for toning the silver image.

Gold(III) chloride is used as a catalyst in organic chemistry. It is also the usual starting point for making other gold compounds.

Gold is used as a coating enabling biological material to be viewed under a scanning electron microscope.

Many competitions and honors, such as the Olympics and the Nobel Prize, award a gold medal to the winner (with silver to the second-place finisher, and bronze to the third.)

Since it is a good reflector of both infrared and visible light, it is used for the protective coatings on many artificial satellites and on astronauts' helmets to prevent blindness from the sun.

Disodium aurothiomalate is a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (administered intramuscularly). It inhibits lymphocyte proliferation, lysosomal enzyme release, the release of reactive oxygen species from macrophages, and IL-1 production. However, it can also cause photosensitive rashes, gastrointestinal disturbance, and kidney damage.

The isotope gold-198, (half-life: 2.7 days) is used in some cancer treatments and for treating other diseases.

Gold flake is used on and in some gourmet sweets and drinks. Called varak or (varaq) in India. Having no reactivity it adds no taste but is taken as a delicacy. Some use it as an excuse to create super-expensive delicacies ($1,000 cocktails). For similar reasons, it is also used as the basis for some superstitious, over the top, health claims. Only the salts and radioisotopes (mentioned above) have any evidence of medicinal value.

White gold (an alloy of gold with platinum, palladium, nickel, and/or zinc) serves as a substitute for platinum.

Green gold (a gold/silver alloy) is used in specialized jewelry while gold alloys with copper (reddish color) are more widely used for that purpose (rose gold).

Lots of things can ruin gold because it is a really really soft metal. You can bend it, scratch it, discolor it, and more. That's why platinum is becoming more popular for wedding rings and such.

Only a chemical called "aquaregia". Gold is an inert metal. You can melt it or scratch it but it won't react with anything.

Excessive heat will melt it. It can tarnish as well if not polished.

yes don't clean it with a cleaner made for sliver.

It sure does make you look silly. . . from all the left-over bullet holes.

Platinum BIACH!!

i don't think so.. if its real nothing should ruin it

you can scratch it and at high enough temps melt it!

wearing too much of it makes you look silly

waring to much makes you look silly.