The three phases of matter are solid, liquid, and gas.
Most people are familiar with physical and chemical changes in an object when it’s subjected to extreme temperatures.
But does metal, particularly gold, have liquid and gas states?
Gold can become a gas or liquid. The physical state of this metal will depend on the temperature it is exposed to. Gold becomes a liquid once it reaches the melting point, while it can also become a gas once it reaches past the boiling point.
Read on to learn more about gold and its liquid and gas forms.
This article will explore what it takes to melt gold and how you can do it at home.
What Temperature Does Gold Become Liquid?
While the temperature required to melt gold isn’t nearly as high as its boiling point, you would still require special equipment to make gold hot enough to turn into a liquid.
Gold melts at a temperature of 1,948°F (1,064°C) at standard atmospheric pressure. This temperature is typically achieved using a furnace in an industrial setting.
For comparison, liquid gold is almost at hot as lava, which is about 2,200°F (1,250°C). Pure gold will not be destroyed by fire or heat.
Molten gold is one of the hottest substances on Earth.
It has an astonishingly high melting point, making it almost twice as hot as the hottest naturally occurring temperatures found on Earth.
Goldsmiths must wear protective equipment when working with such hot material, so they don’t injure themselves.
It takes an immense amount of heat to melt the gold down into a liquid form.
So when it comes to withstanding high temperatures, gold can take quite a bit of heat.
Due to its chemical properties, gold can withstand very high temperatures without any structural changes or damage to the material itself.
Gold can be dissolved in aqua regia to form chloroauric acid.
The caveat when melting gold this way is that it will become part of a compound.
That is, it won’t be considered “pure” gold. This is for many industrial purposes, such as gold plating and purifying gold.
When gold is dissolved in acid, the impurities can be filtered out, and then another conversion process can be done to return the gold to its solid state.
Some enterprising individuals in the world take advantage of this process to harvest gold from old computer hardware.
The above video shows an example of how this is done.
What Temperature Does Gold Become Gas?
The gas state of gold is a reddish-yellow vapor. Gold must be exposed to a temperature of 5,173°F (2,856°C) at standard atmospheric pressure to become gas. Scientists use high-energy electron beams to bombard the gold in a vacuum and turn it into gas.
The boiling point of liquids and metals is largely influenced by pressure.
At lower pressures, the temperature required to boil metals will decrease; it is for this reason that a vacuum is required to boil gold.
How To Melt Gold at Home
If you want to melt down gold at home, it is possible if you have the right equipment.
You will need the following:
- Crucible – A special container made of clay or graphite that can withstand the temperature of molten gold.
- Furnace – Electric gold melting furnaces are commercially available.
- Tongs – You need a pair of tongs to handle the crucible.
- Gloves – Thick leather gloves are best to protect your hands.
- Safety Goggles – To protect your eyes from heat and gases.
- Mold – To pour molten gold into, giving it a shape. Also typically made from clay or graphite.
The TOAUTO 3KG Gold Melting Furnace (available on Amazon.com) is designed for home use.
Always be very careful, wear protective gear, and follow manufacturer instructions closely when working with any metals.
It comes with most of the equipment you need for melting gold, and it can be used to melt other metals, too.
If you really wanted to, you could melt gold at home.
You just need the right equipment and a high level of safety since molten gold can cause severe injury if you get it on your skin.
Gold can take a lot of heat before it melts.
One method that is commonly used to test if gold is real or fake is heating it using a lighter.
If the gold is real, it will become brighter when heat is applied, while fake or plated gold will get darker.
If you want to test your gold using heat, it is recommended that you use a standard Zippo lighter that produces a constant flame and not a disposable plastic lighter.
You will want to use a pair of pliers or another means to hold the gold since even the temperatures achieved by a lighter can give you a severe burn if you try to handle the gold when it is hot.
Heating gold with a propane torch can melt it.
This is one way to melt gold at home, but you will need a special container called a crucible if you want to do this.
You could also use a propane torch to melt gold at home.
The concentrated flame from the torch can reach temperatures that turn gold into its molten state.
However, you should not attempt to do this unless you have the appropriate safety equipment.
Additionally, make sure you have a good fire extinguisher on hand in case of emergencies.
If you have an old 1200-watt microwave, you can also use it to melt gold, however this is a very dangerous process.
This article from Popular Science describes the process.
If you do melt gold in a microwave, you should never use the appliance to heat food afterward.
Every type of matter can be converted into a gas or liquid. However, metals such as gold take significantly more heat to reach these states.
Creating gold gas can only be achieved using high-energy electron beams and a vacuum chamber.
On the other hand, gold can easily be melted for industrial purposes.
Only melt gold at home if you are certain you know what you are doing and are aware of all the risks.
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