Katie Burton
9/20/11
Silver
Silver is a Transition Metal. It has 47 Protons/Electrons and 61 Neutrons. Its crystal structure is cubic. Silver has five energy levels. No one knows the exact date of when Silver was discovered. It was known to the ancients. The discoverer of the element is also unknown. The word silver comes from the old English word seolfor. Its symbol, Ag comes from the Latin word argentum. The main uses of silver are for jewelry, photography, electrical conductor, and coins. Silver is obtained from ores. The melting point of silver is 1234.93 K and the boiling point is 2435 K. silver is solid at room temperature. People have been using silver for at least 5000 years. Pure silver is the best conductor of heat and electricity of all known metals. It is also the best reflector of visible light known. Silver is slightly harder than gold. It is very ductile and malleable. Silver possesses the lowest contact resistance of all metals. It is stable in pure air and water, although it tarnishes upon the exposure to the ozone, hydrogen sulfide, or air containing sulfur. Silver fulminate is a powerful explosive. Silver iodide is used in cloud seeding to produce rain. Although silver itself is not considered toxic, most of its salts are poisonous, due to the anions involved. Exposure to silver should not exceed 0.01 mg/M.
Silver Fun Facts
Silver is in group 11 of the periodic table and period 5. silver the most electrically conductive element naturally bonds with sulfur the most insulating element. This is the tarnish or black coat surrounding old silver objects. This process only covers the very outside layer and can be chemically reversed. Silver is only shiny when polished. When its in pure form, silver is actually dull. In the ancient and medieval Europe silver was often more valuable than gold. Pure silver is extremely soft. It is the second most prized element in space. Silver is also used for medical use. It is best made into colloidal silver which means very small amounts suspended in pure water and kept separated by electronic repulsion of similar polarity. It is very good for burns soothing and healing. Silver is used for water purification, because it prevents bacteria growth. It is a great alternative to powerful chemicals, such as chlorine and bromine. The element has a total of 71 isotopes and it is very easy to shape without it being deformed, cut, etc easily. Silver is a dental alloy and used to be used in cavity fillings. Now dentists have clear fillings that do not contain silver. It could be eaten, but it is not advised. Silver dates back so far, that it was mentioned in the book of genesis. It is so malleable that it can be pounded to a thinness of 6/10000 of a millimeter. Also, since silver is very ductile, a single ounce of the stuff can be stretched into a wire over 48km long! In ancient china, silver jewelry was placed around children’s necks in hope of warding of evil spirits. There is 1,740,000 metric tons of silver discovered in the world up to the year 2007. 40% of silver goes to photographic film. There is no other word in the English language that rhymes with silver other than the word chilver. A large portion of the worlds silver is used for monetary purposes. It is associated with the moon.
Silver Beware
Silver nanoparticles, used for their potent antimicrobial properties in hospitals and consumer products, may negatively impact plant growth as they make their way into the environment. Whereas it may not spell the end of all flora as we know it, the findings suggest that the nanomaterial has environmental impacts worthy of further investigation. The antimicrobial properties of silver in its ionized form have been recognized for centuries. When it is nanosize between one and 100 nanometers, which is smaller than many viruses. Silver is even more effective at killing microbes. This antimicrobial potency has prompted manufacturers to include silver nanoparticles in a wide variety of consumer products, such as odor-resistant clothing, hand sanitizers, water treatment systems and even microbe-proof teddy bears. Nanoparticles likely enter the environment through wastewater, where they accumulate in sewage sludge at wastewater treatment plants. The antimicrobial effects of silver nanoparticles could have impacts at the ecosystem level. For example, affecting plants whose growth is dependent on soil dwelling microorganisms.
