An analytical gold mine

Gold, frankincense and myrrh. Of these first and most famous Christmas gifts, frankincense and myrrh seem odd bestowments as their desirability is often unknown to modern day secret Santas. Conferment of gold goes unquestioned as its status as a top gift and sought after commodity stretches back before the common era. All that glisters is not gold, but all from kings to criminal kingpins have moved mountains to acquire element 79. According to a recent report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), organised crime groups ‘have embedded themselves in gold supply chains to such an extent that they now pose a serious global threat’.