What is the most common oxidation state of gold? I had a test this morning which had the following question:


  What is the most common oxidation state for gold?
  (a) +1  (b) -1  (c) +2  (d) +3


Since the electronic configuration of $\ce{Au}$ is $\ce{[Xe] 4f^{14} 5d^10 6s^1}$. After removing the $\ce{6s^1}$ electron and gaining $+1$ charge, $\ce{Au}$ should have noble gas configuration and hence this should be the most stable configuration. So the answer has to be +1.
Could someone verify my reasoning?
It's not obvious, but common oxidation state for gold is +3. It caused by destabilization of the $5d^{10}$ orbital. Detailed explanation you can find in The Chemistry of Gold, in Chapter 1.1.3.