Gold what is it, Where is it and How to Spot it.

Yes that's it, it doesn't look like much but it's been making people weak in the knees for thousands of years. The value of gold continues to grow because of its use in the electronics industry as a semi conductor.

The Properties of Gold

Gold is a very heavy yellow metal. It has a specific gravity of 19.3 this means that if you were to fill a test tube with gold it would weigh 19.3 times more times the weight of that test tube if it was filled with water. as a comparison lead (which we all know is heavy) has a specific gravity of 11 so gold is almost twice as heavy as lead. Gold is resistant to most naturally occurring chemicals so it doesn't tarnish and is never destroyed. Gold is also very malleable and ductile. It can hammered so thin that 250,000 sheets would make a stack just one inch high. One ounce can be drawn into a wire thirty five miles long. gold is never found pure in nature. It is usually found in a alloy along with copper, silver or platinum.

How do i know that the stuff in my pan is gold?

By its weight! - If you're panning technique is correct, the gold will be found at the bottom of the pan. As you gently swirl water around in your pan, gold acts differently than other material. It won't move as easily as the other material .
By its appearance - Because gold does not have much of a crystalline structure, it doesn't really sparkle or glitter - it shines. It also looks the same under in sunlight or the shade.
If in doubt, whack it with a hammer - extreme?. yes but, If it flattens, its gold. Now if it shatters, it isn't gold. This approach is not recommended.
You can drop it into some nitric acid. if it doesn't react it is probably gold. if it dose, it isn't. Nitric acid is pretty dangerous stuff so do not get it on you of breath the fumes. Be sure to follow proper handling procedures.

Once you see gold in your pan a few times you won't have any problems spotting it again.