Many people are interested in silver - a chemical element that is associated with luxury, expensive products, and unique technologies in science and technology. This element occupies a special place in the entire periodic table, since it has always, literally throughout the entire history known to mankind, been a material for the manufacture of coins, unique household items and other valuable things. Silver coins have been known since the most ancient civilizations, and they continue to be issued in our time.
The material also plays an important role in science, medicine, industry, and unique technologies, where serious requirements are placed on the purity of the substances used. Many people are interested not so much in the chemistry of silver, but in the various beliefs, legends and fairy tales associated with it. This also occupies a large layer of universal human culture and shows the importance of the element in question for people.
History of metal
A substance such as silver has been known to mankind for many millennia, if not hundreds of thousands of years. In the most ancient myths, legends and stories you can find references to money and objects made from it. The material received its name from the Proto-Slavic dialect, which was widespread in the territory of present-day Russia, Germany and the Baltic countries.
Literally translated, it means “brilliant”, “white to shine.”
The reason for the substance's early prominence in many cultures is that, unlike other metals that are mined by smelting, the ore of the material in question does not require this procedure. Very often, ancient people encountered silver in the form of nuggets ready for processing. That is, no complex technologies were needed to simply take it and actively use it for one’s own purposes.
Advantages and disadvantages
Advantages:
- Silver jewelry goes with any outfit. The same cannot be said about gold. Gold items can ruin a person's appearance. It often overshadows the appearance of clothing, attracting increased attention.
- It is customary to wear gold jewelry for large celebrations and ceremonies. Silver is suitable for any holiday, business meeting, interview.
- Silver jewelry is suitable for both men and women. There are no predominant factors for gender differences.
- Durability, strength, wear resistance.
This metal has no serious drawbacks, except that it darkens over time.
origin of name
If we talk about the name in more detail, then everything is not as simple as mentioned above. Not only in the Proto-Slavic dialect there was a word similar to the modern “silver”. The discovery of specialists showed that similar words exist in the Anatolian group of languages, in languages common in the Middle East, as well as in pre-Indo-European languages of European countries.
It is very difficult, if not impossible, to establish the degree to which a word belongs to a particular culture. There is also a Greek word for silver, árgyros, from which comes the Latin argentum, adopted by the international community as the main name in the international system and periodic table.
Physiological action
Silver, which has the ability to kill microbes, is present in small doses in plant and animal tissues. Its ions participate in metabolic processes. Under the influence of this substance:
If there is a deficiency of silver in the body, the functioning of the glands is disrupted. Long-term use of large doses of the precious metal can lead to changes in skin color. Studies have shown that this does not affect the condition of internal organs, and a person develops resistance to bacteria and viruses.
Being in nature
If we consider the composition of the earth's crust, then it contains approximately 70 milligrams of silver per 1 ton. It's not that much. Since ancient times, silver coins and objects have had a high value, which already indicates that the material is rare and valuable.
Alloys of the material are less common than pure ore, but with the current development of technology they are easily processed to isolate the required fraction.
It is interesting to note that often the diggers were able to discover not ore, but nuggets, and of enormous size. History knows a case when a silver nugget weighing as much as 20 tons was found!
Other native objects weighing 500-600 kilograms were also found.
Largest silver deposits in the world
The distribution of the precious resource across the surface of the planet is extremely uneven. The most intensive extraction of material occurs in Peru
– this state is the undisputed leader in the amount of silver produced here. On average, about 110 million ounces of the substance are mined in this country in one year.
Poland is also one of the leaders in silver mining, although few people realize this. About 40.5 million ounces of silver are mined here.
Russia and post-Soviet countries have about 12-15% of the world's silver reserves. The mining industry here is quite developed and produces tons of material annually. Australia is also included in the list of lucky ones who are lucky with the resource in question. There is not much silver in other parts of the world, but there is always the possibility of discovering as yet unknown deposits.
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Physical properties
The mass of the substance is quite high, which is due to the fact that its density is as much as 10.5 g/cm³. This is more than another popular metal - copper, but less than the well-known lead.
The melting of silver begins at a temperature of 962°C, which is a fairly high value. That is why the metal is considered refractory and is used, for example, for soldering complex joints as solder.
In room conditions, the substance has a high level of electrical conductivity and also has high thermal conductivity. Silver oxide, chloride, sulfide, and hydroxide are actively used in science and industry to solve a whole range of problems.
Chemical properties
The maximum valence of the metal in question is 1, since it corresponds to the group number where it is found in the periodic table. Silver ions react weakly to other elements, including even sulfuric and hydrochloric acid.
The molar mass is 107.8 amu. (the weight of the atom is the same), the color of thin foil from pure material resembles purple, but if a nugget is taken, then it is bright light, silver.
Oxidation of the substance occurs extremely weakly and only under special conditions. To do this, you have to use plasma technologies, ozone or ultraviolet radiation treatment. The electron configuration of silver looks like this: 4d^10 5s^1. The crystal lattice is cubic, or to be more precise, face-centered cubic.
Scope of application of silver
There are many applications for the material in question, which is why it has such a high cost and authority among the broadest masses of people.
Here are the main cases of its use:
- Technical applications in science and industry. Reliable contacts for electrical connections are treated with silver. Since the material melts at a very high temperature, almost 1000 degrees, it is used wherever it is important to withstand a high-temperature environment.
- The specific gravity of the substance allows it to be used in various solders; for example, copper-silver solder is very popular.
- Used among precious metals in the field of jewelry making.
- The metal is also used to create high-quality mirrors with increased reflectivity in microwave electrical engineering.
- Silver is known for its disinfecting properties, so it is used to purify water from germs.
In chemistry, there is more than one formula for using silver for science, the chemical industry and a host of other tasks. With its help, all kinds of tests are carried out, high-quality welds are made, and complex electronics are created.
Rules for the sale of certain types of goods
Laws of the Russian Federation
On subsoil (dated March 3, 1995 No. 2395-1) On foreign exchange regulation and foreign exchange control (dated October 9, 1992 No. 3615-1) On foreign exchange regulation and foreign exchange control (dated December 10, 2003 No. 173-FZ)
Criminal Code of the Russian Federation
Articles 181, 191, 192 Violation of the rules for the manufacture and use of state hallmarks. Illegal trafficking in precious metals, natural gemstones and pearls. Violation of the rules for the delivery of precious metals and precious stones to the state.
Departmental Orders and Resolutions of the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation
Instruction “On the procedure for receiving, spending, accounting and storing precious metals and precious stones at enterprises, institutions and organizations” (as amended) (dated August 4, 1992 No. 67) Departmental Orders and Resolutions of the State Customs Committee of the Russian Federation Letter on Identification diamonds made from Russian diamonds (dated June 6, 1997 No. 01-15/10778)
