Silver

From Citizendium
Revision as of 15:11, 18 September 2007 by imported>Yi Zhe Wu
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This article refers to the silver metal. For other uses, see silver (disambiguation).

Template:Chem Infobox Silver is a metallic element. In normal temperature and pressure, silver is a hard, lustrous, malleable solid. It has been discovered and used by human beings since ancient times, and is often regarded as one of the precious metals, along with gold and platinum. Today, silver is often used in electrical devices (such as electrical contacts and wires) and jewelry. It was once used extensively to mint coins and as an antibacterial agent before the discovery of antibiotics (though today silver in colloidal form is still sold as a dietary supplement in the United States). Silver has a melting point of 960.8 Celsius and boiling point 2,212 Celsius. Common silver compounds include silver nitrate and silver iodide.