Classified as a transition metal, Gold is a solid at room temperature.

What is gold’s category?

Chemically, gold is a transition metal and a group 11 element. It is one of the least reactive chemical elements and is solid under standard conditions.

What is gold’s appearance?

Gold is metallic, with a yellow colour when in a mass, but when finely divided it may be black, ruby, or purple. It is the most malleable and ductile metal; 1 ounce (28 g) of gold can be beaten out to 300 square feet. It is a soft metal and is usually alloyed to give it more strength.

Chemically speaking, gold is a transition metal. This happens because the large number of electrons in transition metals interferes with the usual orderly sorting of electrons into shells around the nucleus.