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Silver is a chemical element; it has symbol Ag (from Latin argentum 'silver', derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₂erǵ ' shiny, white ')) and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal.
- Overview
- Properties, uses, and occurrence
- Compounds
silver (Ag), chemical element, a white lustrous metal valued for its decorative beauty and electrical conductivity. Silver is located in Group 11 (Ib) and Period 5 of the periodic table, between copper (Period 4) and gold (Period 6), and its physical and chemical properties are intermediate between those two metals.
Together with gold and the platinum-group metals, silver is one of the so-called precious metals. Because of its comparative scarcity, brilliant white colour, malleability, ductility, and resistance to atmospheric oxidation, silver has long been used in the manufacture of coins, ornaments, and jewelry. Silver has the highest known electrical and thermal conductivity of all metals and is used in fabricating printed electrical circuits and as a vapour-deposited coating for electronic conductors; it is also alloyed with such elements as nickel or palladium for use in electrical contacts. Silver also finds use as a catalyst for its unique ability to convert ethylene to ethylene oxide, which is a precursor of many organic compounds. Silver is one of the noblest—that is, least chemically reactive—of the transition elements.
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Silver ornaments and decorations have been found in royal tombs dating back as far as 4000 bce. It is probable that both gold and silver were used as money by 800 bce in all countries between the Indus and the Nile.
Silver is widely distributed in nature, but the total amount is quite small when compared with other metals; the metal constitutes 0.05 part per million of Earth’s crust. Practically all sulfides of lead, copper, and zinc contain some silver. Silver-bearing ores may contain amounts of silver from a trace to several thousand troy ounces per avoirdupois ton, or about 10 percent.
Unlike gold, silver is present in many naturally occurring minerals. For silver the more important deposits commercially are such compounds as the minerals tetrahedrite and argentite (silver sulfide, Ag2S), which is usually associated with other sulfides such as those of lead and copper, as well as several other sulfides, some of which contain antimony as well. Silver is found generally in lead ores, copper ores, and cobalt arsenide ores and is also frequently associated with gold in nature. Most silver is derived as a by-product from ores that are mined and processed to obtain these other metals. Deposits of native (chemically free, or uncombined) silver are also commercially important.
For silver the preeminently important oxidation state in all of its ordinary chemistry is the state +1, although the states +2 and +3 are known.
Silver compounds include silver chloride (AgCl), silver bromide (AgBr), and silver iodide (AgI). Each of these salts is used in photography. Silver chloride serves as the light-sensitive material in photographic printing papers and, together with silver bromide, in certain films and plates. The iodide is also used in the manufacture of photographic papers and films, as well as in cloud seeding for artificial rainmaking and in some antiseptics. All three halides are derived from silver nitrate (AgNO3), which is the most important of the inorganic silver salts. Besides these other salts, silver nitrate is also the starting material for the production of the silver cyanide used in silver plating.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Atomic Number: 47. Symbol: Ag. Atomic Weight: 107.8682. Discovery: Known since prehistoric time. Man learned to separate silver from lead as early as 3000 B.C. Electron Configuration: [Kr]5s 1 4d 10. Word Origin: Anglo-Saxon Seolfor or siolfur; meaning 'silver', and Latin argentum meaning 'silver'
The name is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name, 'siolfur'. Allotropes. Ag. Silver. 47. 107.868. Glossary. GroupA vertical column in the periodic table. Members of a group typically have similar properties and electron configurations in their outer shell.
- approx 3000BC
Silver is known as a "precious metal" because it is rare and because it has a high economic value. It is valuable because it has a number of physical properties that make it the best possible metal for many different uses. Silver has an electrical and thermal conductance that is higher than any other metal.
18. Nov. 2020 · The element symbol Ag comes from the Latin name for silver, argentum. This word, in turn, comes from the Sanskrit word argunus, which means “shining.”. Silver is one of the seven metals known to ancient humans. The others are gold, copper, tin, iron, lead, and mercury.
Silver’s chemical symbol, Ag, is an abbreviation of the Latin word for silver, ‘argentum.’. The Latin word originates from argunas, a Sanskrit word meaning shining. (5) The historical association between silver and money is still found in some languages. The French word for silver is argent, and the same word is used for money.
