Ag Element
Silver often plays second fiddle to another precious metal, gold, but this element has special properties that deserve a good look.
For example, of all the metals, pure silver is the best conductor of heat and electricity, according to the Jefferson National Linear Accelerator Laboratory. It's also the best reflector of visible light, which is why it is commonly used to make mirrors — though silver does tarnish and turn dark grey when exposed to air, requiring periodic polishing.
Pure silver is too soft for products like jewelry and tableware, so the family's finest forks and knives are most likely sterling silver, an alloy of 92.5 percent silver and 7.5 percent copper (though sometimes other metals are used). Silver is also used in some electronics and batteries. Because the metal has antimicrobial properties, nanoparticles of silver can be woven into clothing to prevent bacteria from building up on deposits of sweat and oils, according to the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC).
Silver Facts
- Atomic number (number of protons in the nucleus): 47
- Atomic symbol (on the Periodic Table of Elements): Ag
- Atomic weight (average mass of the atom): 107.8682
- Density: 10.501 grams per cubic centimeter
- Phase at room temperature: Solid
- Melting point: 1,763.2 degrees Fahrenheit (961.78 degrees Celsius)
- Boiling point: 3,924 F (2,162 C)
- Number of isotopes (atoms of the same element with a different number of neutrons): 66; 2 stable
- Most common isotopes: Ag-107 (51.839 percent natural abundance) and Ag-109 (48.161 percent natural abundance)
Silver Who Knew
- Silver's atomic symbol is Ag, which seems to bear little relation to the name of the element. In fact, Ag is short for argentums, the Latin word for silver. The word "silver" is from the Anglo-Saxon word seolfor.
- The first huge silver strike in the United States was Nevada's Comstock Lode, first discovered in 1857 by two brothers who died before they could reap the benefits of their claim. According to Online Nevada, $305,779,612.48 of silver was pulled from the ground between 1859 and 1992.
- There's no doubt about it; silver is pretty, and humans have long thought so. In February 2014, archaeologists uncovered a trove of silver, including five hoop earrings, at a 3,200-year-old site in Israel.
- Silver has antimicrobial properties, but that doesn't make it a good option for home remedies. Homeopathy providers sometimes sell colloidal silver for a variety of health complaints, but drinking the stuff has a weird side effect: It turns the skin blue.
- Leave the good silver in a drawer between Christmases and it's likely to tarnish. So how do a museum's silver pieces stay so shiny? They're coated with transparent lacquers. Researchers are working to create nanometer-thick coatings that can replace the current hand-painted lacquers with something thinner, completely invisible and longer lasting.
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