2
          
          Au
          +
          3
          
          
            F
            
              2
            
            
              
            
          
          
            
              →
              
                t
              
            
          
          2
          
          
            AuF
            
              3
            
            
              
            
          
        
      
    
    {\displaystyle {\ce {2 Au + 3 F2 ->[t] 2 AuF3}}}
  
  
    
      
        
          2
          
          Au
          +
          3
          
          
            Cl
            
              2
            
            
              
            
          
          
            
              →
              
                t
              
            
          
          2
          
          
            AuCl
            
              3
            
            
              
            
          
        
      
    
    {\displaystyle {\ce {2 Au + 3 Cl2 ->[t] 2 AuCl3}}}
  
  
    
      
        
          2
          
          Au
          +
          2
          
          
            Br
            
              2
            
            
              
            
          
          
            
              →
              
                t
              
            
          
          
            AuBr
            
              3
            
            
              
            
          
          +
          AuBr
        
      
    
    {\displaystyle {\ce {2 Au + 2 Br2 ->[t] AuBr3 + AuBr}}}
  
  
    
      
        
          2
          
          Au
          +
          
            I
            
              2
            
            
              
            
          
          
            
              →
              
                t
              
            
          
          2
          
          AuI
        
      
    
    {\displaystyle {\ce {2 Au + I2 ->[t] 2 AuI}}}
  Gold does not react with sulfur directly, but gold(III) sulfide can be made by passing hydrogen sulfide through a dilute solution of gold(III) chloride or chlorauric acid.
The water inside the void instantly vaporizes, flashing to steam and forcing silica, which forms the mineral quartz, and gold out of the fluids and onto nearby surfaces. Seawater
The worlds oceans contain gold. Measured concentrations of gold in the Atlantic and Northeast Pacific are 50–150 femtomol/L or 10–30 parts per quadrillion (about 10–30 g/km3). In general, gold concentrations for south Atlantic and central Pacific samples are the same (~50 femtomol/L) but less certain. Mediterranean deep waters contain slightly higher concentrations of gold (100–150 femtomol/L) attributed to wind-blown dust and/or rivers. At 10 parts per quadrillion the Earths oceans would hold 15,000 tonnes of gold. These figures are three orders of magnitude less than reported in the literature prior to 1988, indicating contamination problems with the earlier data. A number of people have claimed to be able to economically recover gold from sea water, but they were either mistaken or acted in an intentional deception. Prescott Jernegan ran a gold-from-seawater swindle in the United States in the 1890s, as did an English fraudster in the early 1900s. Fritz Haber did research on the extraction of gold from sea water in an effort to help pay Germanys reparations following World War I. Based on the published values of 2 to 64 ppb of gold in seawater a commercially successful extraction seemed possible. After analysis of 4,000 water samples yielding an average of 0.004 ppb it became clear that extraction would not be possible and he ended the project.