Facts About Silver

Hello kids, have you ever wondered that the greyish colour jewellery your mother is wearing is made up of which metal? The metal is silver. 

Before that, let us discuss what metals are. Metals such as iron, lead or silver are underground minerals found in rocks. Heat is used to separate them from the rocks. Metals are excellent building materials. Strength and hardness are just a few of the qualities that metals possess. Metals can be heated and formed into anything, from a little paperclip to a huge aeroplane. 

Similarly, silver has been used for different uses over the years, including jewellery, photography, and electronics. In ancient times, coins and utensils comprised silver. Further, we will discuss the uses of silver, silver facts, and its properties.

Silver Coins

Properties of Silver

The properties of silver are as follows:

• Symbol: Ag

• Atomic Number: 47

• Atomic Weight: 107.8682

• Classification: Transition Metal

• Phase at Room Temperature: Solid

• Density: 10.49 grams per cm cubed

• Melting Point: 961°C or 1763°F

• Boiling Point: 2162 °C or 3924°F

• In the periodic table's eleventh column, silver is the second element. It falls within the transitional metal category. The most common isotope of silver atoms contains 60 neutrons along with 47 protons and electrons.

• Silver is a hard metal with a glossy metallic lustre. It is very malleable and ductile. Ductility is a property of metal, in which the metal can be pulled into wires. Malleability means the metal can be hammered into flat sheets. 

• Of all the metals, silver has the highest electrical and thermal conductivity. Silver is an extremely shiny metal which reflects 95% of all visible light. Many mirrors are coated with silver because of the high reflective property of silver. Additionally, it is also used in solar panels, telescopes, and microscopes.

• Silver is a less reactive metal. However, coming in contact with sulphur compounds, they will react and turn into a tarnish colour. 

Uses of Silver

Given below are the uses of silver.

• Silver was used in the past to make coins. Since ancient times, silver has been used as currency. Due to its high price, silver is no longer used to make coins.

• Because of its high electrical conductivity, silver is used in the electronic industry. Most of its applications are in high-end ones where copper, a more affordable metal, is ineffective. Batteries having a long life are also made up of silver.

• Besides these uses, silver is also used in nuclear reactors, mirrors, dental fillings, and musical instruments.

Silver Utensils

Interesting Facts About Silver

Some interesting facts about silver are as follows:

• The pound sterling, which is the name of United Kingdom's official currency, used to be worth one pound of silver.

• Around 30% of the silver produced until the invention of digital cameras was used for photography in the compound form silver nitrate.

• To produce rain, clouds are seeded with the silver complex silver iodide (AgI).

• Because they can help stop the growth of bacteria and fungi, silver nanoparticles are sometimes applied to garments.

• Silver can kill germs, therefore in the past, it was common practice for wealthier families to feed their children with silver spoons, which resulted in healthier children.

Summary

In this article, we learned that silver is the second element in the periodic table and falls within the transitional metal category. It is a soft metal with a glossy metallic lustre and is very malleable and ductile. We have discussed silver uses, facts, and properties of silver. Silver has been used for different purposes over the years, including jewellery, photography, coins, and electronics. It is a metal with high reflective properties. Silver was also used in ancient times to make coins and utensils, but because of its high price, it is no longer used for this purpose. We hope you enjoyed reading this article.