Chemical elements
  Gold
    Isotopes
    Energy
    Production
    Extraction
    Application
    Physical Properties
    Chemical Properties
      Aurous fluoride
      Aurous chloride
      Aurous bromide
      Aurous iodide
      Aurous oxide
      Aurous sulphide
      Aurous thiosulphate
      Aurous Derivatives of Nitrogen
      Aurous cyanide
      Potassium aurothiocyanate
      Ammonia and Aurous Halides
      Gold dichloride
      Gold dibromide
      Gold monoxide
      Gold monosulphide
      Gold monosulphate
      Nitride of Bivalent Gold
      Auric chloride
      Aurichloric Acid
      Auric bromide
      Auribromic Acid
      Auric iodide
      Auri-iodic Acid
      Auric iodate
      Auric hydroxide
      Auric sulphide
      Auric sulphate
      Acid auryl sulphate
      Auric selenide
      Auric selenate
      Auric telluride
      Gold and Nitrogen
      Auric nitrates
      Gold and Phosphorus
      Gold arsenides
      Auric selenide
      Auric antimonide
      Auric cyanide
      Salts of Auricyanic Acid
      Double Salts of Auric thiocyanate
      Gold carbide
      Gold and Silicon
    PDB 1a52-4acl

Aurous oxide, Au2O






This oxide is produced by the action of potassium hydroxide on soluble auric salts or on the comparatively slightly soluble aurohalides, but the product is contaminated with metallic gold. It can be prepared in the pure state by reducing potassium auribromide, KAuBr4, to potassium aurobromide, KAuBr2, by the action of sulphurous acid, and adding dilute potassium hydroxide to the solution. Aurous hydroxide is precipitated as a dark-violet substance, converted into a greyish-violet product by drying over phosphoric oxide. On heating, it loses water up to 200° C. At 205° to 210° C. oxygen is also evolved, and at 250° C. there is rapid decomposition into gold and oxygen. When freshly precipitated, aurous hydroxide dissolves in water, yielding a colloidal solution of indigo-blue colour, and characterized by a brownish fluorescence in reflected light. It also dissolves in alkali-metal hydroxides with formation of complex anions. It has the character of a very weak base.
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