History
Silver has been known since ancient times. It is mentioned in Genesis.
Slag dumps in Asia Minor and on islands in the Aegean Sea indicate that
man learned to separate silver from lead as early as 3000 B.C.
Properties
Pure silver has a brilliant white metallic luster. It is a little harder
than gold and is very ductile and malleable. Pure silver has the highest
electrical and thermal conductivity of all metals, and possesses the
lowest contact resistance. Silver iodide, AgI, was used for causing clouds
to produce rain.
Silver is stable in pure air and water, but tarnishes when exposed to
ozone, hydrogen sulphide, or air containing sulphur.
Silver can be found in ores including argentite, lead, lead-zinc, copper
and gold found in Mexico, Peru, and the USA among others.
Uses
The following uses for silver are gathered from a variety of sources.
- Sterling silver is used for jewelry, silverware, etc. where
appearance is paramount. This alloy contains 92.5% silver, the remainder
is copper or some other metal
- Photography (AgBr)
- Dental alloys
- Solder and brazing alloys
- Electrical contacts
- High capacity silver-zinc and silver-cadmium batteries
- Silver paints are used for making printed circuits
- Used in mirror production and may be deposited on glass or metals by
chemical deposition, electro deposition, or by evaporation. When freshly
deposited, it is the best reflector of visible light known, but it
rapidly tarnishes and loses much of its reflectance
- The iodide is used to seeding clouds to produce rain
- The nitrate, (lunar caustic) is used extensively in photography
- Coinage metal
Fabrication and Forms
H Cross Company can provide Silver in the standard 99.95% commercially
pure grade in wire sizes from .005" diameter up to .100" diameter, strips
and ribbons from .0005" thick to .020" thick and from .020" to .100" wide
and in sheet or foil form from .0005" thick to .020" thick and up to 2"
wide. Please
email us if you have needs outside of these ranges, as we
will always try to be of assistance for your specific requests.
Packaging
Each H. Cross Company product is delivered in packaging specifically
designed for the product's application. As an example, wire is furnished
on returnable plastic reels, each containing a single length of wire.
Strips, Ribbons, Sheets and foils are flat packed to prevent damage during
shipping. If required, H. Cross Company can adapt standard packaging
methods or develop new ones for your special needs. |
