Properties | More Info | Isotopes | Spectra
Compounds | Reactions | Production
Atomic: M.A.C. | Reference
Diagrams: Shell | Atomic Radius | Electron || Images
Reactions of Gold
Reactions with water
Gold does not react with water, under any circumstances.
Reactions with air
Under normal conditions gold will not react with air.
Reactions with halogens
Gold reacts with chlorine and bromine to form trihalides and with iodine to form a monohalide.
  2Au(s) + 3Cl2(g)2AuCl3(s)
  2Au(s) + 3Br2(g)2AuBr3(s)
  2Au(s) + I2(g)2AuI(s)
Reactions with acids
Gold can be dissolved with a mixture of hydrochloric acid (HCl) and concentrated nitric acid (HNO3), in a ration of 3:1. This combination is known as aqua regia, "royal water".
Reactions with bases
Gold will not react with aqueous bases.
 
Reduction Potentials
Balanced half-reaction E0 / V
Au3+ + 2e-Au+ +1.41
Au3+ + 3e-Au(s) +1.50
Au+ + e-Au(s) +1.68
AuCl4- + 2e-AuCl2- + 2Cl- +0.926
AuBr4- + 2e-AuBr2- + 2Br- +0.805
AuCl4- + 3e-Au(s) + 4Cl- +1.00
AuBr4- + 3e-Au(s) + 4Br- +0.858
AuCl2- + e-Au(s) + 2Cl- +1.154
AuBr2- + e-Au(s) + 2Br- +0.963