"If someone tries to sell you non-relativistic gold you are being had!" This is mostly a concern for theorists who prefer to go as far as possible with non-rel

"If someone tries to sell you non-relativistic gold you are being had!" This is mostly a concern for theorists who prefer to go as far as possible with non-relativistic theories. This relativistic shift also has large implications for the bonding of gold nanostructures. The relativistic correction shifts the energy of the core electrons and they hybridize - giving the Au - Au bonds directionality. Small gold clusters can thus take on planar, cage, and tubular structures - completely contrary to what you would expect from surface tension. see these wonderful papers: Evidence of hollow golden cages: http://www.pnas.org/content/103/22/8326.full http://www.pnas.org/content/103/22/8326.full These small structures are famous for the fact that they are not chemically inert! Many people are exploring applications as catalysts to complete the oxidation of CO in automobiles.