Can gold corrode

Answer 1

It depends what you mean by corrode. The Free Dictionary (Online) defines corrode as: * Cause to deteriorate due to the action of water, air or an acid;

Rust, eat * Damage - inflict damage upon * Rust, corrode - become destroyed by water, air, or a corrosive such as an acid. Essentially, corrode in this context means rusting or be damaged by water, air or acid. However, gold can react with oxygen to form an oxide, e.g. Gold (III) Oxide. When a metal reacts with oxygen, it is generally called rust.(Though most of the time it doesn't look like conventional rust. Iron (II) Oxide is rust. ) See related link below. DISCLAIMER: Gold oxide does NOT occur naturally. It has to be exposed to temperatures and pressures other than room temperature. If you are talking about water, it will never react because it is less reactive than either Hydrogen or Oxygen. However, it can damage it if the water force is too strong. See link to "Reactivity Series" below. If you are talking about an acid, it will not be able to react unless it is a gold compound. But that isn't relevant here. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Corrosionist The Website of Corrosion and Corrosion Control"'s definition of metal corrosion:

"Metal Corrosion can be defined as the destructive attack of a metal through interaction with its environment"

shows that gold cannot corrode because it is not natural corrosion. See related link below ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Finally, the third thing is that rust is limited to iron. (See Wikipedia link below) Thus, it may be that gold cannot rust, but may corrode.

Answer 2

Gold is a noble metal, which means it is resistant to corrosion and does not tarnish. It does not react with oxygen or water, so it does not rust or corrode easily.