Gold is weird. It's one of the few metals that doesn’t really oxidize. Even silver and copper—from the same column of the periodic table—form weak oxides. Naively, you might expect that gold would tarnish just like silver. Gold also sits right next to platinum, but it has none of that metal’s catalytic properties.

Then came gold nanoparticles that acted like catalysts, and we were confused by their apparent willingness to take part in chemical reactions.

Now, a pair of scientists has explained that gold’s inertness isn’t inherent to the atom but rather to the surfaces that gold crystals form. Before we get to the results, let’s first take a look at the traditional explanation for gold’s inertness and why an inert material that has no catalytic activity suddenly acts as a catalyst when in its nanoparticle form.

Read full article

Comments

© Kieran Stone

Since President Trump's tariff announcement on April 2, 2025, global stock markets have declined, while gold emerged as a safe haven, still rising 14.5% in the past 3 months despite overall market losses, challenging its "pet rock" label.

Global stock markets faced a significant crash on Thursday and Friday, with the Dow dropping 2,200 points and the S&P 500 losing 10% in two days due to Trump's tariffs. This event highlights historical wealth manipulation by financial elites, ongoing since ancient times, emphasizing the importance of true riches found in faith.