• jmiller@lemm.ee
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    14 days ago

    Gold prices have risen steadily for a long time, partly because of its use in electronics. Over $2500/ounce now. But another quirk of gold is the ease with which we can make very thin coatings of it over other materials, sometimes only a few atoms thick. So it is commonly used, but in very very small amounts per device.

      • jmiller@lemm.ee
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        14 days ago

        Well, that is the amount gold that is mined or recycled every year that is used in electronics. The thing is though, a lot of the gold used in electronics is never recovered. So a considerable amount of the gold used in electronics is removed from from circulation in a way the gold in jewelry or bullion or coins isn’t. It isn’t the primary driver of gold’s price increase, but it is a significant factor.

      • chaogomu@lemmy.world
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        14 days ago

        The main reason to electroplate things in gold is that corrosion resistance.

        The thinner the coating, the better. Mostly because gold isn’t a very good conductor.

        Copper is one of the best conductors available. But the corrosion is the problem. It’s nonconductive.

        Also a fun fact. Stainless steel is a better conductor than gold. But gold is slightly easier to use in electroplating.