Au
Gold
Z = 79 · Transition Metal · 197.0 u
Nuclear Engineering Significance
Not commonly used in reactor core materials. Gold foils and wires are standard activation detectors (Au-197 → Au-198, t₁/₂ = 2.7 d) for thermal and epithermal neutron flux measurements due to the well-characterized σ_a = 98.7 b and strong resonance at 4.9 eV.
Basic properties
- Atomic number (Z)
- 79
- Standard atomic mass
- 197.0 u
- Category
- Transition Metal
Isotopes & cross-section data
No nuclide data for this element in the reference database.
The NRDP database focuses on nuclides relevant to reactor physics (fuels, moderators, structural materials, fission products, etc.). For full isotope data, see NNDC NuDat 3 or IAEA Nuclear Data Services.