gold

[razman]

how is the metal gold formed and what is the chemistry needed for its formation?

[Jumbuck]

I'm going to guess that the main creation of gold atoms occurs at the cores of larger stars which eventually become supernovae, and these explosions spread those atoms throughout that neighbourhood of the galaxy.

[Mamyalynne]

I think the main theory is that it results from volcanic magma

[jake-the-peg]

Gold is an element - as jumbuck says it cannot be formed by chemical means.

It is not actually formed in the cores of stars only elements lighter than Iron can be created in that way. It is actually formed in the Supernova (exploding stars) themselves.

When the Earth formed a certain amount of gold was part of that. Tjhe association with volcanic magma is that volcanoes have a tendency to bring rare heavy elements from within the Earth up to the surface.

[R1Geezer]

Yep as jake says, all you need to do is get yourself a star, at least 5 times the size of our own, and then hang about for a Supernova and pick up all the little bits, simple!

[beso]

Would be a long wait. Also would be great disappointment anyway unless you picked a star with at least 20 times the mass of the sun since this is the lower limit for a supernova.

[R1Geezer]

Talking out of your ar5e again beso, the chandrasakar limit for a supernova is 5 solar masses, then a neutron star wll result.
see here http://physics.ship.edu/~mrc/pfs/108/node6.htm