Silver

Silver is a metallic chemical element with atomic number 47 and symbol Ag. Its high electrical and thermal conductivity, reflectivity, and resistance to corrosion distinguish it from most metals.

Silver(I) ion: The monovalent silver cation, Ag⁺, found in many silver compounds. Silver commonly forms this ion when it reacts with nonmetals and loses one electron.
Silver halide photography: A photographic process in which light creates latent images in silver-halide crystals that chemical development makes visible. The light sensitivity of silver halides made silver central to traditional photographic film.
Native silver: Naturally occurring metallic silver found uncombined in mineral deposits. It is one geological form in which the element occurs without first being extracted from an ore.
Gold: A dense, yellow, highly malleable transition metal with atomic number 79 and symbol Au. Gold shares silver’s group and precious-metal history but is less electrically conductive and far less reactive.
Silver nitrate: An inorganic compound, AgNO₃, that dissolves readily in water and supplies silver ions. Its soluble silver ions make it a useful reagent for studying silver’s reactions.
Silver mirror reaction: A chemical test in which a reducing agent deposits metallic silver on a container’s inner surface. The reaction uses silver’s reducibility to detect aldehydes and create reflective coatings.
Silver sulfide: A dark silver compound with formula Ag₂S, occurring naturally as the mineral acanthite. Acanthite is an important silver ore and illustrates silver’s occurrence in combined form.
Copper: A reddish transition metal with atomic number 29 and symbol Cu, widely used in electrical wiring. Copper is silver’s closest practical rival for electrical conductors because it is cheaper and nearly as conductive.
Silver chloride: A white, water-insoluble silver halide with formula AgCl that darkens under light. Light-induced decomposition of this compound links silver chemistry to photographic imaging.
Silver nanoparticle: A particle of metallic silver with dimensions typically between 1 and 100 nanometers. Nanoscale silver is used in coatings and materials because its surface can release antimicrobial silver ions.

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