Nitric acid AsO, SbO, and TiO respectively. Some precious metals, such as pure gold and platinum-group metals do not react with nitric acid, though pure gold does react with "aqua regia", a mixture of concentrated nitric acid and hydrochloric acid. However, some less noble metals (Ag, Cu, ...) present in some gold alloys relatively poor in gold such as colored gold can be easily oxidized and dissolved by nitric acid, leading to colour changes of the gold-alloy surface. Nitric acid is used as a cheap means in jewelry shops to quickly spot low-gold alloys (< 14 carats) and to rapidly assess the
Acid test (gold) or definitive tests to other materials, became popular during and after the California Gold Rush, but was current before then, as shown by this quote from the Wisconsin paper "The Columbia Reporter", November 1845: "Twenty-four years of service demonstrates his ability "to stand the acid test", as Gibson’s Soap Polish has done for over thirty years." Other examples of the figurative use of the phrase are the web sites Acid1, Acid2 and Acid3, which are designed to test web browsers for compliance with current web standards. Another example is the quick ratio method, nicknamed "acid test", used by financial analysts