Silver

Element Name: Silver
Atomic Number: 47
Atomic Mass: 107.8682
Atomic Symbol: Ag
Melting Point: 961.78° C
Boiling Point: 2162° C

Silver is a bright lustrous metal that can have a nearly white color when fully polished. It is highly ductile and malleable (only surpassed by gold) and also extremely conductive of both heat and electricity. It is the single most electrically conductive material, but is not widely used because of copper’s sufficient conductivity at a fraction of the cost. Silver has a tendency to tarnish by reacting with atmospheric sulfur, so it must be polished occasionally to retain its gleam. Silver is almost always in the +1 oxidation state, but exceptions are known making it exist in the +2, +3, and +4 states as well. Silver exists in two natural isotopes, Silver-107 and Silver-109 that exist in similar quantities. This is a rarity, as most elements with multiple natural isotopes tend to have a dominant member. Silver has 28 radioisotopes ranging from atomic weight 94 to 127. Silver’s name come from the Anglo-Saxon “Seolfor” and “Silabar”.

Interesting Facts:

The atomic symbol for silver, Ag, comes from an abbreviation of the Latin word for silver, argentum. The country Argentina gets its name from this word because it had so many silver mines. Sterling Silver and Britannia Silver are specific grades of silver with the purities 92.5% and 95.8% respectively. At its peak in the late 15th century, silver would’ve been worth over $1,200 an ounce if you adjust for inflation (this is around 20 times more than today). Well-polished silver is the best reflector of visible light, reflecting nearly 100% of the visible spectrum except for violet, which it reflects about 95% of. In World War Two the Manhattan Project used wires made out of silver due to copper shortages from the war effort. Silver is antibacterial when in its ionic form, a fact that has given it use in wound dressing. Clothing companies have begun developing clothing with silver in it that is supposed to retard the growth of fungus and bacteria.

Sources:

Silver is found in its elemental form, in alloys with gold, and in several ores (as either a primary ingredient or an impurity). Silver ores include argentite, chlorargyrite, and pyragyrite. However, it is more commonly found as a byproduct in copper, nickel, lead, and zinc ores. Silver is mainly produced in Peru, Bolivia, Mexico, China, Australia, Chile, Poland, and Serbia. 26,800 tons of silver was produced in 2014 alone. It should come as no surprise that silver is relatively rare and can be found in 75 parts per billion in the earth’s crust.

Industrial Uses:

Silver does not see much use in industry since much of it goes to make jewelry. Much of its use in industry is in electronics. Silver’s high conductivity and ability to withstand arcing make it an excellent choice in high frequency radio systems and in high voltage systems. Solar panels use a sheet made out of a silver polymer to replace glass in reflectors. It is lighter, cheaper, and easier to install than its glass counterpart. In the same vein as glass, it is often used to coat glass. Silver is extremely reflective, so infrared telescopes use a fine layer of silver (aluminum is still used in most other telescopes because it is much cheaper if slightly less effective). Tinted windows in cars use silver and other materials in extremely thin layers to reduce brightness of outside lights. Dental fillings are made out of an amalgam of silver, mercury, tin, and gold that can quickly set. Silver was once used en masse to develop photography, but that application has gone down in the digital age.

References:

“Silver.” Chemicool Periodic Table. Chemicool.com, 9 Oct. 2012. Web. 26 July 2016.
“Silver.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 26 July 2016.
“Facts About Silver.” Livescience. Livescience.com, 11 Dec. 2013. Web. 26 July 2016.
Gray, Theodore W., and Nick Mann. The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal, 2009. Print.