Material Name: silver
Description
A soft, white, ductile metallic element. Silver is widely distributed throughout the world. It occurs rarely as metallic silver (Peru, Norway) but more often as silver-gold alloys (electrum) and silver ore (galena, cerargyrite, pyrargyrite, argentite). Today silver is obtained as a byproduct in the refinement of gold, lead, copper, or zinc ores. The largest current producers of silver are Canada, Mexico, the United States, Peru, Russia, and Australia. Silver was smelted from galena as early as 3800 BCE. Another early method for refining gold or silver was called cupellation by which the ore was placed in a small cup then exposed to high heat in air; the base metals oxidized while the precious metals melted and were poured off. As a pure metal, silver is second to gold in malleability and ductility. It can be polished to a highly reflective surface. Since pure silver is too soft for many decorative items it is most often prepared as an alloy - sterling silver (925 parts silver and 75 parts copper). Alloys containing less that 90% silver cannot be stamped as silver. Silver is used for jewelry, coinage, photography, mirrors, electrical contacts, and tableware.

Synonyms and Related Terms
Ag; argentum (Lat.); Zilver (Ned.); argent (Fr.); Silber (Deut.); argento (It.); prata (Port.); plata (Esp.)

CompositionAg (atomic no. 47)
CAS7440-22-4
Mohs Hardness2.5 - 3.0
Melting Point960.5
Molecular Weightatomic wt = 107.868
Density10.53
Boiling Point2212

Other Properties
Soluble in nitric acid, hot sulfuric acid, alkali cyanide solutions. Insoluble in water, alkalis. Attacked by sulfur compounds.

Isometric crystal system. Malleable and ductile. Streak = silver white. Luster = metallic. Tarnish = black, yellow, brown.

Potassium dichromate may be used for the colorimetric detection of silver in objects. It reacts with silver to form bright red silver chromate crystals.

Hazards and Safety
Inhalation of vapors is toxic. Noncombustible.

Fisher Scientific: MSDS

Additional Information
° O. Untracht, Metal Techniques for Craftsmen, Doubleday and Co., Garden City, NY, 1968.
° Mineralogy Database: Silver
° Web Elements: Website


Images
4 total images

MFA Acc. #: 35.1775

Paul Revere, Jr., American, 1734-1818
Teapot
United States, Massachusetts (Boston), 1760-65
Silver
14.9 cm (5 7/8 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston: Pauline Revere Thayer Collection 35.1775

for more information see:
MFA Online Collections Database
 
MFA Acc. #: 63.93

Coin of Tarsus with bust of Hadrian
Roman Provincial
Imperial Period, A.D. 117-138
Cilicia, (Tarsus)
Silver
Diameter: 26 mm. weight: 9.74 gm. die axis: 12
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston: Theodora Wilbour Fund in Memory of Zoë Wilbour 63.93

for more information see:
MFA Online Collections Database
 
Native metallic silver

Metallic silver.
Image credit: Minerals and Materials Photo Gallery.
Image accessed Oct.30, 2004 at Minerals in Your World
 
Silver ore

Silver ore.
Image credit: Minerals and Materials Photo Gallery.
Image accessed Oct.30, 2004 at Minerals in Your World
 

Authority

12 total authority records

Materials Handbook, G.S. Brady, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971

comments: p. 723

Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, 10th ed., Richard S. Lewis, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1993

Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia, Douglas M. Considine (ed.), Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1976

The Merck Index, 10th edition, Martha Windholz (ed.), Merck Research Labs, Rahway NJ, 1983

comments: entry 8647

The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998

Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com

comments: silver" Encyclopædia Britannica [Accessed December 11, 2001].

C.W.Chesterman, K.E.Lowe, Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Rocks and Minerals, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1979

David C. Scott, Metallography and Microstructure of Ancient and Historic Metals, The Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles, 1991

Susan E. Schur, Conservation Terminology: A review of Past & Current Nomenclature of Materials, Technology and Conservation, Spring (p.34-39); Summer (p.35-38); Fall (p.25-36), 1985

Michael McCann, Artist Beware, Watson-Guptill Publications, New York City, 1979

Jack Odgen, Jewellery of the Ancient World, Rizzoli International Publications Inc., New York City, 1982

A.Lucas, J.R.Harris, Ancient Egyptian Materials and Industries, 4th edition, Edward Arnold Publishers Ltd., London, 1962

Last updated on: 6/28/2009 11:21:13 AM
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