Silver (Ag) – Periodic Table [Element Information & More]

Silver element (Ag) is in group 11 and period 5 of a periodic table. Silver is in the d-block and it is classified as a transition element on the periodic table.

There is a lot more information related to silver which is mentioned in the Information Table given below.

So let’s dive right into it!

Table of contents

• Silver element (Information Table)
• Silver element in Periodic table
• Facts about Silver
• Properties of Silver
• Uses of Silver

Silver Element (Information Table)

The important data related to silver element is given in the table below.

Appearance of silver	White metallic luster
Atomic number of silver	47
Symbol of silver	Ag
Atomic mass of silver	107.87 u
Protons, Neutrons & Electrons in silver	Protons: 47, Neutrons: 61, Electrons: 47
State of silver (at STP)	Solid
Group number of silver in periodic table	11
Period number of silver in periodic table	5
Block of silver in periodic table	d-block
Category of silver	Transition metal
Bohr model or Electrons per shell or Electrons arrangement in silver	2, 8, 18, 18, 1
Electron configuration of silver	[Kr] 4d10 5s1
Orbital diagram of silver
Electronegativity of silver (on pauling scale)	1.93
Atomic radius of silver (van der Waals radius)	172 picometers
Density of silver	10.5 g/cm3
1st ionization energy of silver	7.576 eV
Main isotope of silver	107Ag (51.8%) and 109Ag (48.1%)
Melting point of silver	1234.9 K or 961.7 °C or 1763.2 °F
Boiling point of silver	2435 K or 2162 °C or 3924 °F
Crystal structure of silver	Face Centered Cubic (FCC)

Also see: Interactive Periodic Table (It has rotating bohr models as well as many other details of all the 118 elements in a single periodic table).

Silver element in Periodic table

The Silver element (Ag) has the atomic number 47 and is located in group 11 and period 5. Silver is a metal and it is classified as a transition element.

Click on above elements in the periodic table to see their information.

Facts about silver

Here are a few interesting facts about the silver element.

1. Silver was given its name from the Anglo-Saxon word “seolfor”.
2. Silver was given more value than gold in ancient Egypt.
3. Pound sterling is a currency of the UK and it was initially equal in value to 1 pound of silver.
4. Silver is a ductile metal and it can be drawn into very thin wires.
5. Mexico is the world’s largest producer of silver.
6. Silver metal is generally obtained while mining copper, lead and zinc.

Properties of silver

Here is a list of some physical properties and chemical properties of silver.

Physical properties of silver

• Silver is a metal having a white shiny appearance.
• Silver metal is the best conductor of heat and electricity.
• The melting point and boiling point of silver metal is 1234.9 K and 2435 K respectively.
• Silver is ductile as well as malleable metal, that means it can be easily drawn into thin wires and sheets.
• Silver has many isotopes and out of these isotopes, the most abundant isotopes are ¹⁰⁷Ag and ¹⁰⁹Ag.
• The crystal structure of silver is FCC.
• Silver has an atomic mass of 107.87 u and its density is 10.5 g/cm³.

Chemical properties of silver

• The electron configuration of silver is [Kr] 4d¹⁰ 5s¹ and it is a transition metal.
• Silver gets a dark gray color if it is kept open in the air for a very long time. Because of this reason, it requires polishing.
• Silver has no reaction with water, acids as well as many other compounds.
• The black sulfide layer is formed on the silver metal when it is exposed to hydrogen sulfide (H₂S).

Uses of silver

Here are some uses of the silver element.

• Silver is used in jewelry as it is a precious metal.
• Silver is also used in making components of batteries as well as in other electrical devices.
• Silver is also used in mirrors as it has an ability to reflect the light.
• During ancient times, the wines, vinegar, water, etc were stored in silver bottles to protect them from bacteria contamination.
• Silver metal was also used for filling cavities.
• Very thin layer of silver is applied on the sweets for decoration and we can also eat it.

External resources:

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2. Bondi, A. (1964, March). van der Waals Volumes and Radii. The Journal of Physical Chemistry, 68(3), 441–451. https://doi.org/10.1021/j100785a001
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4. Silver – Element information, properties and uses | Periodic Table. (n.d.). Silver – Element Information, Properties and Uses | Periodic Table. https://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/47/silver
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8. Periodic Table of Elements: Los Alamos National Laboratory. (n.d.). Periodic Table of Elements: Los Alamos National Laboratory. https://periodic.lanl.gov/47.shtml
9. Atomic Weight of Silver | Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights. (n.d.). Atomic Weight of Silver | Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights. https://ciaaw.org/silver.htm
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