Gold (Au, from Latin "Aurum" (World Book Dictionary) is the most non-reactive of all metals -- it is benign in all natural and industrial environments. Gold never reacts with oxygen (one of the most active elements), which means it will not rust or tarnish. Gold is among the most electrically conductive of all metals. Since electricity is basically the flow of charged particles in a current, metals that are conductive allow this current to flow unimpeded. "Gold is able to convey even a tiny electrical current in temperatures varying from -55° to +200° centigrade." (Gold Institute) Gold is the most ductile of all metals, allowing it to be drawn out into tiny wires or threads without breaking. Consequently, a single ounce of gold can be drawn into a wire five miles long. Gold's malleability is also unparalleled. It can be shaped or extended into extraordinarily thin sheets. For example, one ounce of gold can be hammered into a 100 square foot sheet.

Other applications for gold include decorative plating of costume jewelry, watchcases, pens and pencils, spectacle frames and bathroom fittings. Gold-based points are used for decoration of china and glass. Demand for gold from this sector is around 90 tonnes per year. The gold is used in various forms, such as rolled gold and gold fill, although both of these are under competition from new techniques. On the other hand, the use of gold electroplating in watchcases and similar products is increasing. Visually, the most spectacular use of decorative gold is gold leaf which has been used for centuries to adorn the domes or ceilings of public buildings, because its resistance to corrosion means it will outlast paint by many years. Gold's ability to reflect heat in summer and help retain it in winter has also led to the use of glass coated with a thin film of gold in several modern buildings, especially in North America; one ounce of gold covers typically one thousand square feet of glass. This reflective glass can cut cooling and heating costs by 40%. The major consumption of decorative gold is in the United States and Japan. All told, the industrial uses of gold provide a very steady element in gold demand, requiring more than the equivalent of all Australian gold production annually. In the last 6,000 years over 125,000 tonnes of gold has been recovered, first from alluvial deposits in rivers and then by mining. But most of it has been produced in the last 150 years, since the major discoveries in the United States and Australia in the mid-19th century. Then, in the short span of 50 years, more was mined than in the preceding 6,000.

Gold's other main role in electronics is in semi-conductor devices, where fine gold wire or strip is used to connect parts such as transistors and integrated circuits, and in printed circuit boards to link components. Again, the need for reliable connections makes gold indispensable. This bonding wire is one of the most specialized uses of gold; it is highly refined to 999.99 purity and the wire has a typical diameter of one-hundredth of a millimeter. Japan is the major fabricator of electronics products in the western

Chile has low-grade deposits high in the Andes, including El Indio and La Coipa. Bolivia has a new mine at Kori Kollo; Guyana has developed the Omai open pit ; Peru has new mines at Yanacocha and Maqui Maqui; in Venezuela La Camorra mine opened in 1994 and a major resource at Las Cristinas has been identified; Uruguay has opened the Mahoma mine and Argentina may develop the Majo de la Alumbrera deposit.

ast absorptive material of infrared (or heat) energy. High purity gold reflects up to 99% of infrared rays. Gold is also an excellent conductor of thermal energy or heat. Since many electronic processes create heat, gold is necessary to transfer heat away from delicate instruments. Gold alloy is the most tenacious and long-performing material available for protection of these temperatures.

Gold can be called the most useful material on earth, next to duct tape, and has and always will be extremely important to man. This will prove especially true in the information and space age. Its ductility, malleability, reflectivity, resistance to corrosion and unparalleled ability as a thermal and electrical conductor will insure that it remains as important as it is today.

Gold Institute,1996, http://www.goldinstitute.com/facts.html

The peak year for production was 1970 when output topped 1,000 tonnes. Since then it has fallen to around 550 tonnes (under 25% of world output), but South Africa is likely to remain the foremost producer into the next century.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Institute Gold, Gold Council, South Korea, Latin America, Ontario Quebec, Book Dictionary, South Africa, Bank China, Lihir Island, Uruguay Mahoma, tonnes annually, tonnes gold, resistance corrosion, gold gold, alluvial deposits, ounce gold, gold recovered, south africa, leaching circuit, 50 tonnes, thermal electrical conductor, world gold council, california gold rush, thin film gold, cyanide dissolves gold,
Approximate Word count = 2639
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)