2 Chemistry -- Heavy Metals: Silver

What happens when?a) Silver nitrate comes in contact with skin( organic matter) in presence of lightb) Silver nitrate is heated

What happens when?

a) Silver nitrate comes in contact with skin( organic matter) in presence of light

b) Silver nitrate is heated

2 Answers

Silver nitrate on heating decomposes to give the free metal (silver) as the solid residue.

a) When silver nitrate comes in contact with skin, it is reduced to white color metallic silver. In most cases, a black stain appears due to formation of finely divided silver which has black color.

The black color is due to the decomposition of the Ag+ ion into Ag, silver. Silver nitrate will slowly decompose with the silver ion reverting to elemental silver. The microscopic particles of silver are so small that they absorb light instead of reflecting it, and so appear black, instead of silver.

Silver nitrate produces a black stain on skin due to its reduction to silver (Ag).

Pls check the rxn from Chemical Properties(A-6)

What is spitting of silver?

In the molten state, silver can dissolve up to 22 times its volume of oxygen; on solidification, most of the oxygen is expelled, a phenomenon known as the spitting of silver.

Mention ores of silver with molecular formula.

Argentine –Ag2S

Horn silver –AgCl

Pyrargyrite –AgSbS2

Write chemistry of lunar caustic

Silver nitrate is called lunar caustic because when it comes in contact with organic substances (e.g., skin , clothes) and reduced to metallic silver which is white like the iron lunar.

Silver Nitrate is a salt, which is colorless or of a white crystalline form. When this is exposed to light or any organic material, this becomes black in color. Silver Nitrate when heated decomposes and forms, Silver, Nitrogen dioxide and Oxygen.

2 AgNO3 2 Ag + 2 NO2 + O2

Some of the Applications of Silver...

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