2 Chemistry -- Heavy Metals: Silver

Write chemistry of lunar caustic

1 Answers

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 Nitrate are

Eye drops for children: It has been proven that bacteria, Gonococcal Bacteria which is a principal cause of eye infections are eliminated by this chemical.
Some people have moles on their hands or bodies. Silver nitrate is used to cauterize and remove such moles.
Electroplating: Such plating work is done on jewelry and watches to give a sophisticated finish and look. Silver Nitrate is used when Silver must be coated on Nickel.
We all use mirrors in our day to day life. Mirrors reflect whatever is in front of it. In order to create such a surface that reflects
It is also used in the manufacturing of many coloring agents like dyes and inks.
Explosives are used to break rocks to lay roads etc: The manufacture of such explosives also uses silver nitrate and also includes other salts of silver like silver acetylide, silver azide, etc.
In the field of dentistry, it is used to heal ulcers in the mouth.

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

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

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....

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