The answer is gold. Gold is made up of only one type of atom, the element Au. It’s not the only element to be made up of a single atom. There are others including mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), and copper (Cu).

Gold is an important chemical element with the symbol Au (from Latin: aurum) and atomic number 79. It is a soft, dense, malleable and ductile metal with a bright yellow color and luster that is generally considered attractive, which it retains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold resists corrosion and oxidation, even at high temperatures. The metal was known in ancient times, though it was not discovered until around 4000 BC. Gold has been used as a currency or standard for trade for thousands of years; it is currently the world’s third most traded commodity after petroleum and natural gas.

The metal occurs as free elemental gold or as gold compounds in nature; they include amorphous (native) gold, auriferous rock deposits, and native gold, which may contain silver as a solid solution in quartz veins.

Last modified: October 29, 2022