What is heavier - gold or silver and how the sample affects the weight + comparison table with other heavy metals

Post updated: Jun 6, 2020

Almost everyone in school was told by their chemistry teachers about the incredible density of the yellow metal. And most of the students asked what is heavier, gold or its counterpart on the periodic table - lead? It is about 19.3 grams per cubic centimeter. Due to its chemical composition, gold does not enter into any reactions with the environment.

That is why it is so actively used in dentistry. This metal can be not only yellow. It depends on the components included in its composition. However, regardless of color, products made from this metal are incredibly popular.

The question arises, how does the density of gold compare to the density of other metals? Which element has the largest mass? This article can answer these and many other questions.

Uses of gold

The demand for the yellow metal determines not only its use in the production of jewelry and the increase in the state’s gold and foreign exchange reserves. It is also very widely used in many other areas.

In industry, gold began to be actively used due to its chemical properties. It covers mirrors operating in the far infrared range. This is especially useful when conducting all kinds of nuclear research. Gold is also very often used for soldering components made of various materials.

Another area of ​​application is dentistry. This is due not only to the impossibility of the yellow metal entering into a chemical bond with the human body, but also to its incredible corrosion resistance.

Pharmacology also cannot do without the use of this amazing yellow metal. Gold compounds are now actively used in various medical preparations that save from a wide variety of diseases.

These are not the only uses for gold. Due to rapid progress, there is an increasing need to use gold content in technological innovations. From this we can conclude that yellow metal is not only an attribute of luxury, but also a useful technical tool, the importance of which is increasing every year.

Silver

Silver, like gold, has been known to mankind since ancient times. It is used not only in the manufacture of jewelry, but also for the production of tableware. Previously, silver was very actively used in coinage. And today you can see some coins containing a little silver. When choosing a precious metal, the question often arises: what is heavier, gold or another precious metal - silver.

The density of this metal is slightly less than that of lead. It is equal to 10.5 grams per cubic centimeter. This means that gold is almost twice as heavy as silver.

In addition to creating silverware and various jewelry, this material is very actively used in industry, as well as in the photographic industry.

The main properties due to which this element has become so widely used in the industrial field are excellent thermal and electrical conductivity, excellent resistance to interaction with the environment, as well as excellent reflectivity.

Rapidly developing technological progress has significantly reduced the use of silver in the photographic industry. This is due to the fact that thanks to the introduction of modern technologies, the process of producing and using photographic equipment has become much more accessible to most people. This is what ensured a reduction in the use of silver by more than 3 times.

Due to its bactericidal properties, this metal is very actively used in medicine. Currently, silver is used to produce antibacterial patches, as well as to produce filters for purifying water from harmful microorganisms.

Silver nitrate used in medicine.

Indicators of the specific gravity of other metals

Specific gravity is an indicator that is an integral characteristic of other metals.

The specific gravity of silver is affected by the fineness of the alloy. When other metals (copper, nickel) are added to it, the specific gravity and density are lost. Thus, the density of copper is 8.93 g/cm3, nickel – 8.91 g/cm3. All values ​​are calculated using formulas.

You may be interested in: Properties of gold: physical and chemical properties

Silver is the same noble metal as gold. Its specific gravity is 10.5 g/cm3. It melts at a temperature of 960 degrees. The main physical characteristics of silver are:

• corrosion resistance;
• low resistance;
• increased light reflectivity.

Despite its natural softness, silver has a high density and specific gravity.

Titanium is a non-ferrous metal of a white-silver hue. It has high strength, although it is light in weight. So, it is 12 times stronger than aluminum and 4 times stronger than copper and iron. In terms of the degree of presence in the earth's crust, titanium is given fourth place among the rest.

The low specific gravity of titanium - 4.505 g/cm3 is more consistent with alkali metals. An oxide film forms on its surface, which prevents the formation of corrosion.

Zinc is also a non-ferrous metal with a white-bluish tint. It has medium hardness and an initial melting point of 419 degrees. Under the influence of a temperature of 913 degrees, this metal acquires a vaporous state. Zinc has a specific gravity of 7.13 g/cm3.

Normal temperature makes zinc brittle, but increasing it to 100 degrees makes the metal flexible and ductile. When interacting with air, an oxide film forms on the surface of zinc.

The color of lead is dirty gray, but this does not affect the natural shine of the metal. However, the glow stops quite quickly due to the formation of an oxide film on the surface of the lead. The lead alloy has a high specific gravity - 11.337 g/cm3. In this indicator, it exceeds zinc, aluminum, iron and some other metals. Despite its high density, lead is a very soft metal.

It is easy to knead in your hands or scratch with your nails. For lead, a temperature of 327.5 degrees is enough for it to begin to melt.

The table shows the specific gravity and melting points of other metals.

You may be interested in: Gold color: standard and most unusual shades

Lead

It should be said that the density of lead is almost 10 times less than the density of the noble yellow metal. To understand the density of lead, it should be said that the density of birch or linden is 25 times less. According to the density table, lead is in 20th place, and gold is in seventh. From this it is easy to conclude that the yellow metal is much heavier than its opponent.

This element is very well used in the production of various metal structures, as well as in the medical field. This is due to the non-transmission of X-ray rays. The widespread use of lead in various fields is also associated with the very cheap cost of this metal. Its cost is almost half the cost of aluminum. Another advantage is the relative ease of extraction of this material, which provides a huge supply to the world market.

Metals similar to gold in specific gravity

Some other metals also have a density similar to gold. In particular, tungsten and uranium. Uranium cannot be passed off as a noble gold metal for the following main reasons:

• high radioactivity;
• inaccessibility.

Counterfeiters have more options when working with tungsten. But this metal differs significantly from gold in color and hardness. Despite this, the counterfeiters found a way out. They cover tungsten ingots with molten gold.

In addition, tungsten is often used in the production of gold-plated jewelry. They are very similar in appearance to real gold jewelry, but their cost and durability set them apart from gold jewelry.

Gold plating is also applied to lead products, the structure of which is much softer. The common belief that specific gravity will distinguish a fake lead from a real gold metal is incorrect. This is a misconception, since gold in its pure form is not used to make jewelry.

You can often find gold jewelry with unusual colors on sale. Often these are ordinary sprayings. If the product is made of alloy, then its price will be much higher. For example, gold comes in blue, pink, black, purple and other shades. They are obtained by including other compounds in the ligature.

Today, unscrupulous jewelers do not hesitate to pass off other metals as precious gold. To avoid purchasing a counterfeit, you should only contact specialized stores that have the appropriate certificates and licenses.

Iron

It is one of the oldest metals known to man. The first metal products, according to the results of archaeological research, appeared in the fourth millennium BC. Iron is much cheaper than the yellow precious metal. This is due to the high content of iron ore in the depths. And as they say in the economics textbook, the greater the demand, the lower the price of the product.

Unlike gold, iron has several oxidation states, and it interacts very actively with the environment. Russia occupies a leading position in the world in terms of iron ore reserves.

You should immediately answer the question of interest: what is heavier, a precious metal such as gold or ordinary iron. To answer this you will need to look at the density of metals. The density of the precious metal is already known, let’s find the value for iron. It is equal to 7.844 grams per cubic centimeter. It follows from this that this metal, with an equal volume, is not only lighter than gold, but also silver and lead.

Comparison with other metals

Gold and silver are interesting for their precious properties. However, they are primarily metals and have qualities comparable to their “brethren”.

Comparative table of gold and silver with other metal alloys

Platinum is the closest in terms of characteristics to gold and silver. Also applies to noble metals; in density and atomic mass it is close to Au, but more refractory. Platinum is somewhat similar to Ag in its silvery-white color.

In addition to alloys - cast iron and steel - the presented metals belong to the group of transition metals. The exception is lead - it is from the light Me group. Only two metals from the list are found in living organisms - iron (blood) and copper (liver).

Almost always, to obtain a pure substance it is necessary to isolate it from oxides or salts and process ores. And only Au is able to “reveal itself” in its pure form, occurring in the form of nuggets or sand. The heaviest metal compared is gold.

Also, watch an interesting video about how you can distinguish gold and silver from other metals.

Platinum

This element has been known since time immemorial, but in Europe, in its pure form, it was obtained at the beginning of the 19th century. Platinum is a noble metal whose value used to be 2.2 times that of gold. This was due to the very small amount of platinum in the world. There are about 30 grams of platinum per kilogram of the yellow metal. At this point in time, the cost of gold is noticeably higher. This is due to the chemical and physical properties of the metal.

Platinum is a white-silver metal of extraordinary beauty, which, like gold, occupies a leading place among metals. The most important feature of this metal is its strength. Therefore, platinum jewelry does not wear out. In Russia, the following hallmarks of platinum exist: 950,900, 850. Platinum jewelry contains about 95% pure platinum, and a gold item contains 750 hallmarks, 75% gold.

Due to its high content, this metal is almost impossible to scratch. This is why it is so widely used in industry. But with gold it’s a completely different story. Another reason is the fact that all countries' gold and foreign exchange funds consist of gold. This practice has evolved over centuries and now it is simply pointless to spend decades reforming a well-functioning system.

It is surprising that platinum, at a certain period of time, was considered waste from gold mining, which was immediately thrown away.

Having assessed the density of the above metals, I wanted to know what would be heavier, gold, which will remain the unsurpassed leader, or platinum. The density of platinum is 21.45 grams per cubic centimeter. From this we can conclude that platinum is heavier than the yellow metal. Therefore, jewelry made of platinum weighs more than jewelry made of gold.

Characteristics and influence of the sample on weight

Gold and silver are noble metals, malleable, ductile, classified as precious, yellow and silver-white in color, respectively. They are well machined. Au is immune to chemical oxidizing agents, even the strongest ones. Only “royal vodka” (a mixture of acids) can dissolve it.

Separate assays for gold and silver are established and used. How pure an element is is easy to determine by testing:

1. Thus, for Au, samples 375, 500, 585, 750, 958 are used (999 is pure). The higher the sample, the denser the alloy, and accordingly, the greater the weight. The less noble metal in the alloy, the lighter it is.
2. For silver, the lowest grade is 720, the highest is 960. Alloys of different grades differ visually. The worse the sample, the less recognizable shine, the yellowness that is no longer characteristic of pure Ag.

Heaviest elements

The density of five elements was given above, of which platinum is the heaviest. However, it is not the heaviest element existing on earth. The density of the heaviest element is 22.61 grams per cubic centimeter. His name is Osmium.

Only this is not the limit of density. True, this element was created artificially in 1984. They named it Hassiy, its density is almost twice that of osmium.

Surprisingly, this is not a chapel either. There are materials many tens of times higher than the density of Hassia. However, they are in outer space. The matter contained in white dwarfs can have a density of up to 1000 tons per cubic centimeter. This news shocked the world community.

However, this is not the limit. Neutron stars contain matter with a density of about 500 million tons per cubic centimeter. This figure can easily be surpassed by the density of black holes, however, due to the difficulties of conducting research, this is only theoretical.