UK Chemistry Olympiad

The microscopic structure of gold leaf | Chemistry Olympiad worked answers

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Try this worked example of a Chemistry Olympiad question on the crystalline structure of gold and its unit cell. Includes video walkthrough and transcript.

In this question from the 2010 UK Chemistry Olympiad round one paper, students encounter the cubic crystal structure of gold. They calculate the mass of one gold atom, before moving on to look in more detail at gold’s unit cell structure, its molar volume and atomic radius. They then extend these ideas to calculate the thickness and layers of gold covering the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.

The accompanying video walkthrough is designed to help students if they get stuck or want to check their working.

The question is of high difficulty, and covers the following chemistry topics:

  • Mole calculations
  • Unit cell calculations

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