Description and chemical, physical properties: The ring needs your care
Silver is a noble metal, the number of this chemical element in the periodic table is 47. It is distinguished by its light silvery-white color, as well as high ductility and good malleability. This metal melts at a temperature of 960 degrees Celsius. Another feature of silver is that it has the highest electrical conductivity of all metals (at room temperature), and its thermal conductivity is also quite high. This metal is relatively heavy, its density is 10.5 g/cm3. As a noble metal, silver is inactive in chemical reactions. It is resistant to alkalis, hydrochloric acid, and diluted sulfuric acid. Silver can be dissolved with strong nitric acid or hot concentrated sulfuric acid. This metal is easily dissolved by mercury, and their liquid alloy is formed - amalgam.
Silver is not oxidized by oxygen. But when exposed to air, it can lose its shine and darken over time. This is explained by the fact that the metal reacts with traces of hydrogen sulfide contained in the air. As a result, silver sulfide is formed, its coating causes darkening of products made from this metal.
Silver is in demand in many industries, and its scope of application is constantly expanding. Here are just a few examples: due to its good electrical conductivity and resistance to oxidation, silver is used in electrical engineering and electronics, and serves as a catalyst in the chemical industry. Silver halides are used in photography, and silver iodide helps a person control the weather - disperse clouds. In addition, from ancient times to this day, silver has been used as a material for minting coins, as well as various awards.
This precious metal is very popular in jewelry: jewelry made from it is democratic, it is appropriate in a variety of situations, and at the same time it is quite affordable. As a jewelry material, silver, like other noble metals, is used in the form of alloys. The most common alloy is 925, with the addition of copper: it contains 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper. There are other silver samples: 875, 800, 750, but they are less common. Silver jewelry requires your care. To maintain their shine and beauty, they need to be cleaned from time to time; there are special pastes for this. You can also use a solution of soda, as well as warm soapy water with the addition of ammonia.
Metal and zodiac signs: His favorites are Cancer and Pisces
Astrologers call silver the metal of the moon, and also associate it with the element of water. First of all, this metal is suitable for people born under the sign of Cancer and Pisces . They are recommended to wear precious stones in a silver setting.
In general, it is believed that silver is not contraindicated for anyone, but not everyone can wear it all the time. For example, representatives of earth signs are recommended to remove silver jewelry from time to time, at least for a few days a month. It is not suitable for constant use by fire signs of the Zodiac. They also say that Scorpio .
Isotopes
There are two naturally occurring isotopes of silver: silver-107 and silver-109. Isotopes are two or more forms of an element. Isotopes differ from each other by their mass number. The number written to the right of the element name is the mass number. The mass number represents the number of protons plus neutrons in the nucleus of an element's atom. The number of protons defines an element, but the number of neutrons in an atom of any one element can vary. Each variation is an isotope.
About 16 radioactive isotopes of silver are also known. A radioactive isotope is one that breaks apart and emits some form of radiation. Radioactive isotopes are formed when very small particles burn atoms. These particles stick to atoms and make them radioactive.
None of the radioactive isotopes of silver have any commercial use.
The slide that develops over time on silverware and other silver-plated objects is silver sulfide.
Myths and Legends: Tears of the Moon
Silver has been known to man since ancient times; among many peoples it was considered a sacred metal. In many ancient civilizations, such as Babylon and Assyria, silver symbolized the Moon. The ancient Greeks considered it the metal of the moon goddess Artemis, and the Romans, accordingly, considered it the metal of the goddess Diana. In Ancient Egypt, silver jewelry was made already in the fifth millennium BC. This metal was also associated with the gods here: the Egyptians believed that the bones of the god Ra were silver.
On the other side of the earth, among ancient Indian tribes, silver was also extremely popular: not only jewelry was made from it, but also household items, weapons, and ritual products. The Indians believed that silver was of divine origin; for example, the Incas called it the tears of the moon. There is a legend about the amulet of Montezuma, the ruler of the Aztecs. According to legend, he had the skeleton of a small snake covered with silver - such a miracle of nature was found by the Indians in their silver mines. This silver snake was not only amazingly beautiful, but also had magical properties. They say that the conquistadors dreamed of finding this main treasure of Montezuma, but she “hid” from the robbers in the depths of the mine and never again showed herself to the eyes of man.
In medieval Europe, silver was credited with the ability to serve as a protector against all kinds of evil spirits. This is where the belief comes from that you can defeat a vampire or werewolf with a silver bullet. The coffin was nailed up with nails made of this metal so that the spirit of the deceased would not rise from the grave. There is a legend about the “werewolf collar”. According to him, a leather collar-belt with silver spikes was put on a captured werewolf, who, as a result, could neither turn back into a human nor become a beast forever. Punished with a silver collar, the werewolf remained either a man with a wolf's head, or, conversely, a wolf with a human face and slowly died from wounds inflicted by thorns.
extraction
Silver-rich ores have long since disappeared due to mining. Today, silver typically comes from ores that contain very small amounts of metal. These amounts can vary from several thousandths
A small percentage of the silver produced in the United States is used for coins. The Old Peace Silver Dollar shown here was minted from 1921 to 1935.
ounces per ton of ore to 100 ounces per ton. The metal is most often produced as a by-product of the mining of other metals. Once the primary metal is removed, the waste often contains small amounts of silver. This waste is treated with chemicals that react with the silver. The silver can then be recovered by electrolysis. Electrolysis is a process in which a compound is destroyed by passing an electrical current through it.
Medicinal properties: Drink or wear?
There is a lot of talk about the healing properties of silver. People have long used its powerful disinfectant effect. For example, the Indians disinfected water by dipping pieces of hot silver into it. Even in ancient Egypt, silver plates were placed on wounds to protect them from infection. The tradition of placing silver objects in a vessel with drinking water is still alive: jewelry, spoons, etc. Not so long ago, popular remedies for the treatment of colds, purulent eye lesions, etc. There were topical anti-inflammatory drugs such as protargol, collargol. Their basis is colloidal silver, in other words, a suspension of microscopic particles of this metal.
However, today there is a lot of debate about the advisability of using silver in medicine. Different studies provide different, sometimes contradictory, results. Scientists agree that silver is detrimental to many pathogenic microorganisms, but the exact dosage at which it has this effect remains an open question. At the same time, it is known that when taken orally in large doses, this metal is dangerous for humans. An excess of silver in the body may be indicated by darkening of the skin and mucous membranes - argyria.
But you can improve your well-being with the help of silver simply by wearing products made from this noble metal. It is believed that silver energetically has a beneficial effect on the stomach and duodenum, improves heart function, and vision. Another important property is that this metal serves as a good stabilizer of our emotional state, helps to overcome stress and fatigue, but many diseases develop due to nervous overstrain.
Traditional medicine recommends wearing silver earrings to relieve headaches, improve vision, and also for ear diseases. A silver bracelet is used when you need to lower your body temperature, relieve fever and heat. In addition, it is silver bracelets that best help relieve fatigue and nervous tension. Those who want to achieve a positive effect on the heart from silver jewelry are advised to wear a cross or medallion made of this metal at the level of the solar plexus, under their clothes.
Pathological condition caused by lunar metal
In medical practice, there is an unusual disease called argyria. It appears in a person if for many years of his life he works with silver or its salts. These substances enter the body in small doses, depositing in connective tissues, as well as in the walls of the capillaries of the kidneys, bone marrow and spleen. The pictures below clearly demonstrate the external symptoms of this pathology.
Silver is a metal that gradually accumulates in the mucous membranes and skin, giving them a bluish or gray-green color. At the same time, it becomes especially bright in those areas of the body that are exposed to light. Sometimes the skin color changes so much that the person looks like an African.
The development of argyria occurs very slowly. Its first symptoms become noticeable after two to four years of constant work with silver. The most severe darkening is observed after tens of years. First of all, the color of the lips, temples, and conjunctiva of the eyes changes. Then the eyelids darken. Sometimes the gums and mucous membranes of the oral cavity, as well as the nail holes, become stained. Sometimes argyria appears as small green-blue spots.
It is impossible to get rid of this pathology and return the skin to its previous color. However, apart from external cosmetic inconveniences, the patient does not complain about anything. That is why argyria can only be conditionally considered a disease. This pathology has its own positive side. A person literally soaked in silver never suffers from infectious diseases. Healing ions kill all pathogens entering the body.
Magical properties: Friend of subtle and sensitive natures
Silver is the most mysterious, magical, mystical of all noble metals. On the one hand, it helps a person understand himself, discover his own inner world and, thanks to this, find harmony. On the other hand, silver connects a person with the astral world, with subtle matters, because it is the metal of the Moon.
Silver makes its owner more sensitive, emotional, and impressionable. It is believed that it does not like people who are callous, cruel, ruthless - their energy is too different from this metal. Silver either tends to leave such a person or brings him misfortune. But with emotional, sensitive people, this metal is tuned to the same wavelength. It is useful for them to wear and keep silver items in the house, which becomes their helper and protector. True, everything is good in moderation - it can completely tear away overly dreamy individuals from reality if you wear silver jewelry constantly. Such people need to take short breaks from time to time, remove the silver and rest from it.
A silver amulet serves to protect against evil spirits and all kinds of ill-wishers. Children are given a thin silver chain to protect them from illness. They also say that in the event of some negative energetic impact, silver will protect its owner and darken, taking the blow upon itself. Silver serves as an energy purifier - it is believed that it is capable of removing negative energy from the human biofield.
This precious metal, like gold, becomes very attached to its owner and retains the memory of his emotional background. At the same time, the silver is reluctantly transferred to the new owner. Therefore, products made from this metal should not be re-gifted or even simply allowed to be worn or tried on by friends or relatives.
And if you want to increase the magical power of your silver talisman or amulet, you can put it at night where the moonlight falls. This should be done when the Moon is in its waxing phase.
Negative effects of silver
It often happens that a substance that is beneficial to humans in small doses becomes harmful in large quantities. Such elements include silver. It has been experimentally proven that significant volumes of this metal ions can reduce immunity in experimental animals and introduce negative changes into the nervous and vascular tissues of the brain. Even larger doses damage the liver, thyroid gland and kidneys. In practice, cases have been recorded when a person received poisoning from silver preparations, which was accompanied by severe mental disorders. Fortunately, this element is easily eliminated by the body.
Locations and production: The leader was discovered with America
Silver is a noble, expensive and rare metal, but it is still more common than gold. It has been established that its reserves in the earth's crust are 20 times higher than gold. Today, this metal is mined both from silver deposits themselves and from deposits of lead-zinc, copper and other ores, which include silver. It is the ore deposits that account for about three-quarters of all proven silver reserves.
Scientists suggest that this noble metal was first discovered by man in Syria around the 5th millennium BC. Later it began to be mined in Greece, and in the Middle Ages silver was obtained in many European countries. The discovery of America enriched the map of metal deposits: large deposits were discovered in Mexico and Peru. And today these South American countries, together with China, are among the top three in silver production. It is also supplied to the world market in significant quantities by Chile, Australia, Poland, the USA, Canada, and Russia.
In our country, silver was first discovered in the 18th century in Transbaikalia. Today it is mined in 20 Russian regions, where more than a hundred deposits have been explored. The largest of them is located in the Magadan region. Eastern Siberia, the Far East, and the Southern Urals can also boast significant reserves of silver.
Silver as a chemical element
Is silver a metal or a non-metal? Of course, metal. And this can be confirmed by the periodic table compiled by Mendeleev. You can find this metal in its first group. The atomic number of silver is 47. Its atomic mass is 107.8682.
Silver is a noble metal that consists of two isotopes. These are 107Ag and 109Ag. In addition, science has discovered more than thirty-five radioactive isomers and isotopes of silver, the mass numbers of which range from 99 to 123. The longest-lived of them, 109Ag, has a half-life of 130 years.
