When purchasing a medal, there are tons of reasons why one would want to go for gold, silver or bronze. It is pertinent to understand what these medals are and their components. Bronze is copper mixed with a little part of other metals like tin. In the periodic table, the metallic elements of copper are Cu, Ag, and Au all found on the same column (1B) with their atomic numbers like 27, 49, and 79, respectively. When elements on a periodic table are located on the same column, it deduces that they have striking characteristics.
Value and Durability
To get a เหรียญรางวัล (medal, which is the term in Thai) which will be durable and valuable, you would want to settle for bronze for its unique properties. They can be found in their purr forms or natural forms. For some other metals, their natural ways become accessible only after a series of chemical reactions.
The elements have to be dug up from the ground to get their pure or native form. When talking about silver and copper, they should be dug in a way that is loosely bonded to sulfur or oxygen. When there became a breakthrough in the usage of metals in pure forms, it became a vast process towards making tools, art, currencies, and so many other valuables. These metals do not require a high percentage of heat before getting the desired shape. Their easily manipulative tendency made them the perfect candidates for a small and well-crafted medal(s). An example of such items is the Olympic medal.
The metals (gold, silver and bronze), compose of value owing to its scarcity. Elements with higher density, are scarce in the universe and more so on earth. In the periodic table, we have gold as the rarest with the highest atomic number and at such the most scarce amongst the three metals being discussed. Copper which can easily be made into bronze is much higher on the periodic table and can easily be found on the ground. Silver is less common as it is one level down in the periodic table.
Which is Better?
Speaking about the order in which the medals are placed, rises in importance following their rare nature. In that order, we have bronze, silver, and gold as the top in the hierarchy. On the other hand, their choice when it comes to being used as a (medal) is dependent on their organic features and physical composition.
A modern Olympic medal is mostly made of silver for those who are looking for ways to winning a medal. The reason for this is because solid gold, as a rare element weighs much and is worth thousands of dollars. The gold color comes from about 6 grams of pure gold on the outside which makes up over 1% of the medals total volume.
