Silver: A Precious Metal With The Highest Thermal And Electrical Conductivity
Because of competing store-of-value and industrial demands, the price of silver has fluctuated considerably during the last century. As of the beginning of 2010, the price of this valuable metal is estimated at about 18 U.S. dollars per troy ounce (or 588 U.S. dollars per kilogram). In February 2011, silver prices were just over $28 per ounce. This article presents important chemical factors of silver that reveals why silver is in such high demand for industrial applications.
Silver is generally described as a soft, white, lustrous metallic chemical element. It happens naturally in its pure form, as an alloy with different metallic elements (particularly gold), and in chlorargyrite and other minerals. As one of three coinage metals (the other two being copper and gold), silver is very malleable and ductile.
Of the completely different metals, silver is known to have the highest thermal conductivity. Similarly of the different identified elements, silver has the highest electrical conductivity. Provided below are some of the properties of this precious metal.
General:
• Chemical Symbol: Ag
• Atomic Number: 47
• Category (as an element): Transition Metal
• Group/ Period/ Block (within the Periodic Table): 11/ 5/ d
• Atomic Weight: 107.8682 g.mol-1
• Electron Configuration: [Kr] 4d10 5s1
Physical:
• Density (close to room temperature): 10.49 g.cm-3
• Liquid Density (at melting point): 9.320 g.cm-3
• Melting Point: 961.78°C, 1234.93°F, 2041.4°K
• Boiling Point: 2162°C, 3924°F, 2435°K
• Heat of Fusion: 11.28 kJ.mol-1
• Heat of Vaporization: 250.58 kJ.mol-1
Atomic:
• Oxidation States: 1, 2, 3
• Electronegativity: 1.93 (Pauling scale)
• Atomic Radius: 144 picometre
• Covalent Radius: 145±5 picometre
• Van der Waals Radius: 172 picometre
• Ionization Energies: 731 kJ.mol-1 (first), 2070 kJ.mol-1 (second), 3361 kJ.mol-1 (third)
The principal sources of silver are copper, lead, zinc and gold ores. It additionally occurs within the minerals chlorargyrite and argentite. Of course, silver occurs natively, too. Some of the prime silver-producing international locations on this planet are the United States, Canada, Peru, and Mexico. Fine silver, which has a minimum of 99.9% silver, is offered commercially.
Silver is generally described as a soft, white, lustrous metallic chemical element. It happens naturally in its pure form, as an alloy with different metallic elements (particularly gold), and in chlorargyrite and other minerals. As one of three coinage metals (the other two being copper and gold), silver is very malleable and ductile.
Of the completely different metals, silver is known to have the highest thermal conductivity. Similarly of the different identified elements, silver has the highest electrical conductivity. Provided below are some of the properties of this precious metal.
General:
• Chemical Symbol: Ag
• Atomic Number: 47
• Category (as an element): Transition Metal
• Group/ Period/ Block (within the Periodic Table): 11/ 5/ d
• Atomic Weight: 107.8682 g.mol-1
• Electron Configuration: [Kr] 4d10 5s1
Physical:
• Density (close to room temperature): 10.49 g.cm-3
• Liquid Density (at melting point): 9.320 g.cm-3
• Melting Point: 961.78°C, 1234.93°F, 2041.4°K
• Boiling Point: 2162°C, 3924°F, 2435°K
• Heat of Fusion: 11.28 kJ.mol-1
• Heat of Vaporization: 250.58 kJ.mol-1
Atomic:
• Oxidation States: 1, 2, 3
• Electronegativity: 1.93 (Pauling scale)
• Atomic Radius: 144 picometre
• Covalent Radius: 145±5 picometre
• Van der Waals Radius: 172 picometre
• Ionization Energies: 731 kJ.mol-1 (first), 2070 kJ.mol-1 (second), 3361 kJ.mol-1 (third)
The principal sources of silver are copper, lead, zinc and gold ores. It additionally occurs within the minerals chlorargyrite and argentite. Of course, silver occurs natively, too. Some of the prime silver-producing international locations on this planet are the United States, Canada, Peru, and Mexico. Fine silver, which has a minimum of 99.9% silver, is offered commercially.