Silver

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. Silver is found in the Earth's crust in the pure, free elemental form ("native silver"), as an alloy with gold and other metals, and in minerals such as argentite and chlorargyrite. Most silver is produced as a byproduct of copper, gold, lead, and zinc refining.

Silver, ₄₇Ag

Silver
Appearance	lustrous white metal
Standard atomic weight Ar°(Ag)
	107.8682±0.0002 107.87±0.01 (abridged)
Silver in the periodic table
Hydrogen Helium Lithium Beryllium Boron Carbon Nitrogen Oxygen Fluorine Neon Sodium Magnesium Aluminium Silicon Phosphorus Sulfur Chlorine Argon Potassium Calcium Scandium Titanium Vanadium Chromium Manganese Iron Cobalt Nickel Copper Zinc Gallium Germanium Arsenic Selenium Bromine Krypton Rubidium Strontium Yttrium Zirconium Niobium Molybdenum Technetium Ruthenium Rhodium Palladium Silver Cadmium Indium Tin Antimony Tellurium Iodine Xenon Caesium Barium Lanthanum Cerium Praseodymium Neodymium Promethium Samarium Europium Gadolinium Terbium Dysprosium Holmium Erbium Thulium Ytterbium Lutetium Hafnium Tantalum Tungsten Rhenium Osmium Iridium Platinum Gold Mercury (element) Thallium Lead Bismuth Polonium Astatine Radon Francium Radium Actinium Thorium Protactinium Uranium Neptunium Plutonium Americium Curium Berkelium Californium Einsteinium Fermium Mendelevium Nobelium Lawrencium Rutherfordium Dubnium Seaborgium Bohrium Hassium Meitnerium Darmstadtium Roentgenium Copernicium Nihonium Flerovium Moscovium Livermorium Tennessine Oganesson Cu ↑ Ag ↓ Au palladium ← silver → cadmium
Atomic number (Z)	47
Group	group 11
Period	period 5
Block	d-block
Electron configuration	[Kr] 4d10 5s1
Electrons per shell	2, 8, 18, 18, 1
Physical properties
Phase at STP	solid
Melting point	1234.93 K ​(961.78 °C, ​1763.2 °F)
Boiling point	2435 K ​(2162 °C, ​3924 °F)
Density (at 20° C)	10.503 g/cm3
when liquid (at m.p.)	9.320 g/cm3
Heat of fusion	11.28 kJ/mol
Heat of vaporisation	254 kJ/mol
Molar heat capacity	25.350 J/(mol·K)
Vapour pressure P (Pa) 1 10 100 1 k 10 k 100 k at T (K) 1283 1413 1575 1782 2055 2433
Atomic properties
Oxidation states	−2, −1, 0, +1, +2, +3 (an amphoteric oxide)
Electronegativity	Pauling scale: 1.93
Ionisation energies	1st: 731.0 kJ/mol 2nd: 2070 kJ/mol 3rd: 3361 kJ/mol
Atomic radius	empirical: 144 pm
Covalent radius	145±5 pm
Van der Waals radius	172 pm
Spectral lines of silver
Other properties
Natural occurrence	primordial
Crystal structure	​face-centred cubic (fcc) (cF4)
Lattice constant	a = 408.60 pm (at 20 °C)
Thermal expansion	18.92×10−6/K (at 20 °C)
Thermal conductivity	429 W/(m⋅K)
Thermal diffusivity	174 mm2/s (at 300 K)
Electrical resistivity	15.87 nΩ⋅m (at 20 °C)
Magnetic ordering	diamagnetic
Molar magnetic susceptibility	−19.5×10−6 cm3/mol (296 K)
Young's modulus	83 GPa
Shear modulus	30 GPa
Bulk modulus	100 GPa
Speed of sound thin rod	2680 m/s (at r.t.)
Poisson ratio	0.37
Mohs hardness	2.5
Vickers hardness	251 MPa
Brinell hardness	206–250 MPa
CAS Number	7440-22-4
History
Discovery	before 5000 BC
Symbol	"Ag": from Latin argentum
Isotopes of silver v e
Main isotopes Decay abun­dance half-life (t1/2) mode pro­duct 105Ag synth 41.3 d ε 105Pd γ – 106mAg synth 8.28 d ε 106Pd γ – 107Ag 51.8% stable 108mAg synth 439 y ε 108Pd IT 108Ag γ – 109Ag 48.2% stable 110m2Ag synth 249.86 d β− 110Cd γ – 111Ag synth 7.43 d β− 111Cd γ –
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Silver has long been valued as a precious metal. Silver metal is used in many bullion coins, sometimes alongside gold: while it is more abundant than gold, it is much less abundant as a native metal. Its purity is typically measured on a per-mille basis; a 94%-pure alloy is described as "0.940 fine". As one of the seven metals of antiquity, silver has had an enduring role in most human cultures.

Other than in currency and as an investment medium (coins and bullion), silver is used in solar panels, water filtration, jewellery, ornaments, high-value tableware and utensils (hence the term "silverware"), in electrical contacts and conductors, in specialized mirrors, window coatings, in catalysis of chemical reactions, as a colorant in stained glass, and in specialized confectionery. Its compounds are used in photographic and X-ray film. Dilute solutions of silver nitrate and other silver compounds are used as disinfectants and microbiocides (oligodynamic effect), added to bandages, wound-dressings, catheters, and other medical instruments.