Welcome to the first issue of Gold Bulletin in 2014. In fact, this designation is not quite true as we have a bumper double issue of papers to share on the back of special issue 46_4 which focused on the work of the French research network GDR Or-nano.

With 15 original manuscripts, this issue really does touch upon a very broad range of science and technology. We have papers focused on electronics, catalysis, new nanoparticle preparations methods and various gold-based diagnostic and detection techniques. We also have two papers from research groups based in the UK and Germany whose focus is on the antibacterial/antimicrobial properties of gold. The researchers take a different tack from the outset, with Grade et al. investigating alloys of gold and silver nanoparticles whilst Perry et al. take pure gold nanoparticles and coat them with amoxicillin. Both lead to fascinating results, which may 1 day lead to another new field of use for gold in medicine.

The final area of science covered in this issue of Gold Bulletin is metallurgy. Gold alloys have long played an important role in technical applications, and this shows no sign of diminishing. One paper, written by the distinguished Italian researcher Paolo Battaini, investigates the fire assay method commonly used in gold metallurgy. It is an excellent article, but tinged with sadness given that Paolo passed away at the end of last year just after the paper was first published on the Gold Bulletin website. Below, I include a short communication from Dr Chris Corti, who knew Paolo well.

“This issue includes a paper co-authored by Professor Paolo Battaini on the Fire Assay process for gold analysis. This standard reference analytical technique is an ancient one but Paolo’s examination throws new light on it that helps to explain why the process has evolved to its current form. Since Paolo completed this manuscript for publication in Gold Bulletin, he succumbed to cancer and sadly passed away in September 2013.

As well as being a great scientist and researcher, Paolo was a lovely person and he became a great friend over the few years that I knew him. Paolo was a good metallurgist (although he graduated in nuclear engineering) and his metallographs of microstructures of the precious metals were of superb quality and enviously admired. He was Professor of precious metal working technologies at the Milano Bicocca University in Milan, Italy and a consultant with the company 8853 S.p.A. He published widely in the field of precious metals including dental and jewellery sectors. He has been a regular presenter at the Santa Fe Symposium on jewellery manufacturing technology in the USA and the Jewellery Technology Forum at Vicenza, Italy on jewellery materials and manufacturing technologies relating to gold, platinum and palladium alloys. His passing represents a great loss to our industry.

Dr Chris Corti

(Former Editor-in-Chief, Gold Bulletin)”

With that, I wish you well for 2014 and hope you enjoy the year’s first issue of Gold Bulletin.