#foolsgold

 
Fool's Gold Actually Contains Real GoldPyrite or iron disulfide was called fool's gold because foolish prospectors would mistake it for real gold. But research showed that pyrite can actually contain real gold!From The Conversation:When crystals stretch or twist, the bonds between neighbouring atoms are broken and remade, forming billions of tiny imperfections called “dislocations”, each roughly 100,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair, or 100 times smaller than a virus particle....Our research reveals that dislocations within pyrite crystals can be “decorated” with gold atoms. This is particularly common where the crystals have been twisted during their history; here, gold can be present at concentrations several times higher than in the rest of the crystal.Image: Uoaei1/Wikimedia Commons​
Privacy & Cookie PolicyDMCA PolicyWebsite Accessibility Statement