Silver is a precious metal and a chemical element from the first Nebengruppe (group of copper) of the periodic system. The element symbol AG is derived from latin word A r g entum = silver. It is beside copper one of only two elements, which name giver for a country is (silver for Argentina and copper for Cyprus), while the reverse case occurs more frequently. It is a very soft and well ductile heavy metal and possesses the largest electrical conductivity of all elements.

History

Silver becomes of humans for instance since that 5. Millenium v. Chr. processes. It became for example of the Assyrern, the Goten, the Greek, the Romans, whom uses Egyptians and the Teuton.

At that time it was considered as more valuable than gold. The silver mostly originated from the mines in Lavrion, which lay about 50 kilometers south of Athens. With the old Egyptians silver was well-known as the moon metal.

In the Middle Ages silver ore occurrences in the resin (Goslar)became, in Saxonia (free mountain and remaining ore mountains), south Black Forest (in country, Belchen, field

mountain), Boehmen (Kutna Hora) and the Slowakei

discovers.

Later the Spaniards brought large quantities of silver from America,among other things from the sagenumwobenen mine of Potosi, to Europe. By this import the silver value in the old world sank.

The German name silver comes from the old-high-German word Silabar, which possibly decreases/goes back on Homers legend country Salybe.

Silver alloys

The today most common silver alloys have a fineness of

800/1000, 835/1000 and 925/1000 parts silver, alloyed with another metal, usually copper for strength increase. In view to the export today Korpuswaren predominantly of a silver alloy with a fineness of 935/1000 made, since the goods with silver plumb bobs are soldered, their fineness lower is, in order to finally meet the legally demanded total fineness from for example 925/1000 to. Also with strongly stressed cutleries the trend goes to the Sterlingsilber for years.

German silver is against it no silver, but a silver-similar, white Unedelmetalllegierung from cupro-nickel zinc. Silver goods are usually finally fine-silvered, hardsilvered cutleries and wear articles. The salespromoting radiate-white silver color and strongly decreased starting of the goods are reached by the very pure silver coating.

Silver is gilded frequently also, one calls it with a word originating from the French and/or latin then Vermeil.

Silver as mineral

Silver is found gediegen in nature. The radiate-white metal

crystallized in the cubic crystal system and has a metallic gloss.

Freshly separated silver reflected well over 99,5 % of the visible light and represents thus the "whitest" of all customs metals. The surface of the silver is usually colored line color by oxides and sulfides brown to violet, is a graeuliches white. With removing grain size the color becomes ever darker and is black with photographically finely distributed silver crystals. The fine metal is

a outstanding leader for electricity and warmth. With a hardness from 2,5 to 3 silver is besides a very soft metal, an only little harder as feingold and somewhat softer than copper: A gram can be pulled to a two kilometers long thread. Polished silver shows the highest light -

reflection characteristics of all metals and therefore also for the production of mirrors is used.

      

 

 

Quelle:Wikipedia