Gold in seawater: a conservative view

Gold concentrations in filtered and unfiltered open ocean Pacific waters give an average of 29 ± 9 pg/l by an atomic absorption/graphite furnace technique preceded by an anion exchange preconcentration step. Similar values (average 37 ± 8 pg/l) were found in nearshore unfiltered waters. These values are geochemically in line with those of gold's periodic table neighbors, Pt, Pd and Ag, which also form strong chloro-complexes. On the basis of its more uniform values with depth in seawaters, Au is less reactive in the ocean system than these other metals.