Pure gold is the most malleable and ductile of all the metals. It is a good conductor of heat and electricity. Gold is bright yellow and has a high luster.
Gold is extremely inactive.
It is unaffected by air, heat, moisture, and most solvents. It will, however, dissolve in mixtures containing chlorides, bromides, or some iodides. It will also dissolve in many oxidizing mixtures, in alkali cyanides, and a mixture of hydrochloric and nitric acids. The chlorides and cyanides are important compounds of gold. Gold is found in nature in quartz veins and secondary alluvial deposits as a free metal or in a combined state.