Average mass of an atom in unified atomic mass units (1 u is 1/12 of the mass of a carbon-12 atom). Accounts for the natural mix of the element’s isotopes.
Number of the vertical column, 1 to 18 in IUPAC numbering. Elements in a group share the same outer-shell layout, so their properties are alike.
Number of the horizontal row. Usually equal to the number of electron shells in the atom; palladium is the exception, with four shells in period 5.
The subshell (s, p, d or f) that receives the last electrons in the usual filling order; it divides the table into four blocks. Real atoms sometimes differ: lanthanum starts the f-block but has no f electrons.
[Kr] 5s¹ 4d¹⁰
How electrons are arranged in subshells. The bracket stands for the previous noble gas; the superscript is the number of electrons in a subshell.
2, 8, 18, 18, 1
Number of electrons in each shell, from the nucleus outwards.
961.8 °C (1,234.93 K)
Temperature at which the solid turns liquid at standard pressure. Helium, carbon and arsenic do not melt at normal pressure: helium needs about 25 atm, carbon and arsenic turn straight into vapour.
2,162 °C (2,435 K)
Temperature at which the liquid boils at standard pressure. For carbon and arsenic, the temperature at which the solid turns straight into vapour (sublimation).
10.501 g/cm³
Mass of one cubic centimetre of the substance. For gases, at 0 °C and standard pressure.
1.93 Pauling
How strongly an atom pulls electrons towards itself in a chemical bond. On the Pauling scale it runs from 0.79 for caesium to 3.98 for fluorine.
7.576 eV
Energy needed to remove the most loosely bound electron from an atom. The lower it is, the more easily the element gives up an electron, which is typical of metals.
1.304 eV
Energy released when a neutral atom gains an electron. Highest for the halogens. Noble gases, nitrogen and some metals form no stable negative ion.
145 pm
Half the length of a single covalent bond between two atoms of the element. It shows the size of an atom inside a molecule or crystal: 76 pm for carbon, 132 pm for iron.
+1
Charges the atom would have in its compounds if all its bonds were ionic; the main ones are listed.
Silver (Ag) is a chemical element with atomic number 47. It sits in group 11 and period 5 of the periodic table, in the d-block. It is a transition metal. At room temperature it is a solid. Its standard atomic weight is 107.87.
Origin of the name
The English word silver goes back to Old English seolfor; related words exist in all Germanic languages, and similar ones in the Baltic and Slavic languages, but where the word came from is unknown. The symbol Ag comes from the Latin argentum. Silver has been known since prehistoric times.
Where is silver found?
Silver is sometimes found as the native metal, but most of it is extracted as a by-product of mining lead, zinc, copper and gold. Mexico is the largest producer.
What is silver used for?
Silver conducts electricity and heat better than any other metal, so it goes into electrical contacts and circuits. It reflects visible light better than anything else and has long been used for mirrors. Sterling silver, 92.5% silver, is made into jewellery and tableware. Silver compounds made photography possible, silver iodide is used to seed clouds to make rain, and silver kills bacteria.
Interesting facts
Argentina is named after silver, which the first European explorers hoped to find there.
Silver tarnishes black not because of oxygen but because of traces of sulfur compounds in the air.