>"Silver has a marginally lower electrical resistance than copper"   
      
   Something like 3.5 % only. While I was unable to get a specific figure on the   
   electrical conductivity of silver oxide, it is said to be almost as conductive   
   as silver, and is self limiting in thickness. Gold is not really a great   
   conductor but it almost    
   can't oxidise or anything, so if the coating is thin enough it works fine.   
   Copper oxides and compounds are pretty much insulators so that, why there is   
   plating. In my recent internet travels someone mentioned the palladium would   
   work well. That may be    
   but I don't know what it costs. Gold is not necessarily the most expensive   
   substance on Earth.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)