Gold has the atomic number 79.
An element’s atomic number equals the number of protons in the nucleus of one of its atoms. Every gold atom therefore contains 79 protons, which distinguishes gold from nearby elements such as platinum, atomic number 78, and mercury, atomic number 80.
Gold’s chemical symbol is Au, taken from the Latin word aurum. It is a dense, soft, yellow metal valued for its resistance to corrosion and its ability to be worked into thin sheets and fine wires.
Gold has been used for jewellery, coinage, decoration, and electronics. Its scarcity and resistance to tarnishing helped make it a store of value across many civilizations. Atomic number is not the same as atomic mass: gold’s commonly listed relative atomic mass is about 196.97.