Gold

Properties of gold atoms

Ionisation Energies and electron affinity

The electron affinity of gold is 222.8  kJ mol^-1. The ionisation energies of gold are given below.

Electronic configuration

The following represents the electronic configuration and its associated term symbol for the ground state neutral gaseous atom. The configuration associated with gold in its compounds is not necessarily the same.

• Ground state electron configuration:  [Xe].4f¹⁴.5d¹⁰.6s¹
• Shell structure:  2.8.18.32.18.1
• Term symbol:   ²S_1/2

Addition of gold to molten glass imparts a rich ruby or cranberry colour to the finished (expensive!) glassware.

A schematic representation of the shell structure of gold - not what the atom of gold "looks like".

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