Silver

Properties and Uses

  • Silver has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal
  • Silver has been known since ancient times and has long been valued as a precious metal, used to make ornaments, jewelry, high-value tableware, utensils, and currency coins
  • Today, silver metal is used in electrical contacts and conductors, in mirrors and in catalysis of chemical reactions
  • Its compounds are used in photographic film and dilute solutions of silver nitrate and other silver compounds are used as disinfectants