Fool's Gold – It's Not the Real Thing
Many people have mined for gold and thought to have found this material, but in many cases they will have instead found iron pyrite. This material is known as fool's gold. It looks like gold, but in reality it is nothing more than a form of iron. It does have some benefits to it though.
Iron pyrite is an iron sulfide mineral. This item generally appear in cubes and in large rocks that consist of many cubes, just like regular gold would. Also, it easily breaks, which is a certain sign of especially pure gold, but unlike standard gold this does not have the purity levels.
The color of fool's gold is a pale variant of the gold color. However, this color tends to become dull after it is mined. This is because of the exposure to oxygen and in various cases the exposure to water that the iron pyrite will have. As a result of this the mineral will become especially dull.
One of the most notable differences between this mineral and real gold is that of the smell of the material. The smell of sulfur is especially notable, and with regular gold this odor will not be as prevalent as it would be with fool's gold. Also, the color is one of the notable things about this. Sulfur is generally yellow in texture just like gold would be. However, if the material is too bright or dull then the odds are very good that the material is not actual gold but iron pyrite instead.
A major difference involves the melting points of these materials as well. Iron pyrite will melt at approximately 1200 degrees Celsius. Gold will melt at about 1050 degrees Celsius. This is an especially notable test to see if the gold is real or if it is fool's gold in that the significant difference between the two melting points can make an impact.
There are some uses to fool's gold though. This material is generally used in the paper industry. Iron pyrite works to create sulfur dioxide, which is used to help with creating paper materials.
Also, radio detectors use iron pyrite as well. Negative resistance is generally found in this compound. For this it is used by radio detectors as oscillator circuits. This use has been experimental in nature though, but it may be of use for professional quality detectors in the future.
Fool's gold is clearly different from gold. It has differences in its odor, breaking point and melting point. There are some uses to it though. Regardless, it is a material that has indeed fooled gold miners over the years and will continue to do just that in the future.
