Gold is Hot

You might think, file that under "tell me something I don't know", but hear me out.
Yesterday, the American Chemical Society e-mailed me (and presumably all of its members with active e-mail accounts) a list of its "Hot Papers" to commemmorate National Chemistry Week. A quick glance at the hot papers in the journals clearly demonstrates gold's versatility as a catalyst and applications in materials science. If you're wondering why anyone would want to waste perfectly good gold on a chemical reaction, keep in mind that while gold is a rare element, it isn't as rare as a couple of other elements that organic chemists have put to good use, like rhodium. By the way, rhodium is often used to plate white gold jewelry.
a general ref: Org. Biomol. Chem. 2005, 3, 387-391.
See also this Tenderbutton commentary about a recent talk by F. Dean Toste, one of this field's more recognizable young researchers.
As a Jersey girl, I'm proud to note that my high school chemistry teacher helped us remember the symbol for the element gold by imitating a stereotypical mobster. I'll let you figure that one out.
The necklace, by the way, is sold in one of the more famous jewelry stores in St. Barts. The cutout is an accurate shape of the island.