Silver

Properties of Silver

• Appearance: lustrous white metal
• Standard atomic weight: 107.8682±0.0002
• Boiling point: 2435K (2162°C, 3924°F)
• Density (near r.t.): 10.49 g/cm
• Thermal expansion: 18.9 µm/(m⋅K) (at 25°C)
• Ionisation energies: 1st: 731.0 kJ/mol
• Thermal conductivity: 429 W/(m⋅K)
• Electrical resistivity: 15.87 nΩ⋅m (at 20°C)
• Magnetic ordering: diamagnetic
• Young's modulus: 83 GPa
• Ductility: can be drawn into a wire one atom wide
• Similar properties to copper and gold
• Soft and malleable transition metal
• Face-centered cubic lattice structure
• Brilliant, white, metallic luster

Uses of Silver

• Bullion coins and investment medium
• Solar panels and water filtration
• Jewellery and high-value tableware
• Electrical contacts and conductors
• Specialized mirrors and window coatings

Isotopes of Silver

• Two stable isotopes: 107Ag and 109Ag
• 107Ag more abundant (51.839% natural abundance)
• Atomic weight: 107.8682(2) u
• Produced in stars via s-process and supernovas via r-process
• Range in relative atomic mass from 92.950u to 129.950u

Reactivity and Deterioration of Silver

• Silver does not react with air, even at high temperatures
• It is considered a noble metal, along with gold
• Silver reacts with sulfur and its compounds, forming silver sulfide
• It dissolves readily in hot concentrated sulfuric acid and nitric acid
• Silver readily dissolves in aqueous solutions of cyanide
• Tarnishing is one of the main forms of deterioration in silver artifacts
• Long-term immersion in salt water can lead to the formation of silver chloride
• Reaction with nitrate ions or oxygen can also cause deterioration
• Fresh silver chloride is pale yellow and becomes purplish on exposure to light
• The presence of copper in ancient silver can be used for dating artifacts

Silver Compounds and their Uses

• Silver compounds are used in photography to bleach silver images
• Silver cyanide solutions are used in electroplating of silver
• Silver nitrate is a versatile precursor to many other silver compounds
• It is used in organic synthesis for deprotection and oxidations
• Silver nitrate can bind alkenes reversibly and has been used for separation

Silver Data Sources