Mitchell+Davis-Silver

Mitchell Davis

Mrs. Bloodworth

Chemistry Honors

9/23/13

**Silver**

The periodic table is composed of a multitude of different elements. There ishydrogen, helium, and many more. One of these elements is silver, one of the precious metals. It is very rare and has more helpful properties that most people are aware of. The importance of silver in our everyday lives is incontestable; not only is it easily accessible and readily available, it is physical and chemical properties provide a variety of uses. Silver is one of the many elements that must be mined so that we can use it. The best places to find it are in Alaska, Mexico, Russia, and Australia. Silver is mostly found within the same mining sites as lead, nickel, copper, and zinc; very rarely is it found by itself. Once the ore is mined, the silver must be extracted out of it. To do this, it has to be crushed and heated up until its melting point of 1763.474 F. Then, it is combined with another substance and has chemicals injected into it so that the two can be separated. Finally, once it has cooled, we have pure silver. Silver’s atomic number is forty seven, which means that it has that many protons. Its abbreviation is “Ag”, which we get from the latin word argentum, that means shiny. This is most likely because silver reflects up to 95% of light, so it tends to be very bright. It is also a transition metal with the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal. In addition to this, it is also highly ductile and malleable, meaning in can be drawn out and into thin wires and be easily bent. Silver is so ductile, than one ounce can be stretched out into 8,000 feet of very thin wire. Silver is used in many ways in our society. As most people know, it is used in a lot of jewelry and coins, such as necklaces and old U.S. dimes. About one third of all the silver in the world is used in photography to develop pictures. This is done by silver halide crystals that expose an image once exposed to light. It was also used in traditional silverware, which is where we get the name from, but it became too expensive for the common home, so it was done away with for the most part. Another use of silver is in the medical field. Medical equipment and hospital surfaces are coated in small layers of silver to prevent the spread of pathogens and bacteria. Lastly, silver is used in some mirrors because it reflects almost everything once it is polished. Silver is a transitional metal on the periodic table. It has the atomic number of forty seven and is abbreviated as “Ag”. It is among the most expensive metals on the planet and the most used. It is used in currency, photography, mirrors, an even medicine. We would not be where we are today without silver and there is more to come from it soon. media type="custom" key="23901854"

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