It conducts heat and electricity better than any other element. Malleable means capable of being hammered into thin sheets. Ductile means capable of being drawn into thin wires. It is the most ductile and most malleable metal. Silver is a soft, white metal with a shiny surface. The name may have originated from the Greek word argos, meaning "shiny" or "white." Physical properties The symbol for silver (Ag), however, comes from its Latin name, argentum. It seems to have come from an old English word used to describe the metal, seolfor. The word silver goes back to at least the 12th century, a.d. The Bible also contains sections that describe the manufacture of silver. It also decorated temples, palaces, and other important buildings. The metal was used as a way of paying for objects. The Bible contains many references to silver. Silver was in common use in the Americas when Europeans first arrived. Written records from India describe the metal as far back as about 900 b.c. Drawings on some of the oldest pyramids show men working with metal, probably extracting silver from its ores. Archaeologists (scientists who study ancient civilizations) have found silver objects dating to about 3400 b.c. But that discovery must have occurred very early on in human history. At some point, humans learned to extract silver from its ores. Silver also occurs as a free metal, but much less often than gold or copper. ![]() They have very distinctive colors, which made it easy for early humans to find these metals. Gold and copper often occur as free elements in nature. Silver was probably first discovered after gold and copper. The mixture has properties different from those of the individual metals. An alloy is made by melting and mixing two or more metals. It is often used to make alloys with gold for some of these applications. Silver is also used to make electrical equipment, mirrors, medical andÄental equipment, and jewelry. Three silver compounds used in photography are silver chloride (AgCl), silver bromide (AgBr), and silver iodide (AgI). Today, the most important use of silver is in photography. These properties made it easy for early humans to learn about silver. It can also be extracted from its ores fairly easy. It often occurs as a free element in nature. Silver has been used by humans for thousands of years. These include gold, platinum, palladium, rhodium, and indium. About a half dozen metals near silver in the periodic table are also precious metals. These properties make the metal desirable in jewelry, coins, and art. They are attractive and not very chemically active. Precious metals are not very abundant in the Earth's crust. Silver is also classified as a precious metal. More than 40 elements, all metals, fall within the transition metal range. The periodic table is a chart that shows how chemical elements are related to one another. ![]() The transition metals are elements between Groups 2 and 13 in the periodic table. OverviewĬhemists classify silver as a transition metal. ![]() Note: This article, originally published in 1998, was updated in 2006 for the eBook edition.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |