The Element Silver

Silver has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity. Silver occurs as a pure metal and sometimes found with gold and minerals as well. Most of Silver is produced as a by-product of other metals such as gold, zinc, lead etc. Silver is one of the metals known since ancient times and been valued as a precious metal. Silver is used for making expensive tableware, jewelry, currency coins, electrical contacts, and mirrors. Other than above applications, there are hundreds of more application of Silver.

One of the most exciting non-industrial or monetary uses of silver is as a specific silver solution (10ppm). Silver Sol, as its called, has been shown to eradicate bacteria (including resistant strains) and inactivate viruses at the DNA/RNA level through magnetic resonance.

The United States is one of the leading producers of Silver. Currently Silver is valued less than gold and higher than copper.

Atomic Number & Chemical Properties

Element Basics:

Chemical Symbol: Ag
Atomic Number: 47
Atomic Weight: 107.8682
Element Classification: Transition Metal
Discovered By: Known to the ancients.
Date of Discovery: n/a (Unknown)
Origin of Name: Anglo-Saxon: siolful, (silver); symbol from Latin: argentium.

How to Recognize it at a Party:

Silvery-ductile, and malleable metal

Seriously Atomic Information:

Density (g/cc): 10.5
Melting Point (°K): 1235.1
Boiling Point (°K): 2485
Atomic Radius (pm): 144
Atomic Volume (cc/mol): 10.3
Covalent Radius (pm): 134
Ionic Radius: 89 (+2e) 126 (+1e)
Pauling Negativity Number: 1.93
First Ionizing Energy (kJ/mol): 730.5
Oxidation States: 2, 1
Electronic Configuration: [Kr] 4d10 5s1

Getting Intimate with Silver:

Lattice Structure: Face-Centered Cubic (FCC)
Lattice Constant (Å): 4.090
Lattice C/A Ratio: n/a
Specific Heat (@20°C J/g mol): 0.237
Fusion Heat (kJ/mol): 11.95
Evaporation Heat (kJ/mol): 254.1
Thermal Conductivity (@25°C W/m K):
Debye Temperature (°K): 215.00

Society's Questions About Silver:

Have you ever wondered what everyone else in the world thinks about Silver? Is anyone else looking for it too? If so, why? What do they want?

The following list shows the most common online questions about the element Silver. Are your questions the same or different from everyone else's?

About the Element...

About the Chemical Elements:
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