Editing Silver (section)

==Applications==

===Jewellery and silverware===
{{see also|Silver plating|Silvering|Silver-gilt}}
[[File:Rennen Silver sarcophagus of Saint Stanislaus.jpg|thumb|[[Repoussé and chasing|Embossed]] silver sarcophagus of [[Stanislaus of Szczepanów|Saint Stanislaus]] in the [[Wawel Cathedral]] was created in main centres of the 17th century European [[silversmith]]ery – [[Augsburg]] and [[Gdańsk]]<ref name="Latka-2019" />]]
[[File:Läckö slott interior 42.jpg|thumb|17th-century silverware]]
The major use of silver besides coinage throughout most of history was in the manufacture of [[jewellery]] and other general-use items, and this continues to be a major use today. Examples include [[household silver|table silver]] for cutlery, for which silver is highly suited due to its antibacterial properties. [[Western concert flute]]s are usually plated with or made out of [[sterling silver]];<ref name="Brumby et al-6">Brumby et al., pp. 65–67</ref> in fact, most silverware is only silver-plated rather than made out of pure silver; the silver is normally put in place by [[electroplating]]. Silver-plated glass (as opposed to metal) is used for mirrors, [[vacuum flask]]s, and Christmas tree decorations.<ref name="Brumby et al-7" />

Because pure silver is very soft, most silver used for these purposes is alloyed with copper, with finenesses of 925/1000, 835/1000, and 800/1000 being common. One drawback is the easy tarnishing of silver in the presence of [[hydrogen sulfide]] and its derivatives. Including precious metals such as palladium, platinum, and gold gives resistance to tarnishing but is quite costly; [[base metal]]s like [[zinc]], [[cadmium]], [[silicon]], and [[germanium]] do not totally prevent corrosion and tend to affect the lustre and colour of the alloy. Electrolytically refined pure silver plating is effective at increasing resistance to tarnishing. The usual solutions for restoring the lustre of tarnished silver are dipping baths that reduce the silver sulfide surface to metallic silver, and cleaning off the layer of tarnish with a paste; the latter approach also has the welcome side effect of polishing the silver concurrently.<ref name="Brumby et al-6" />

===Medicine===

{{Main|Medical uses of silver}}
In medicine, silver is incorporated into wound dressings and used as an antibiotic coating in medical devices. Wound dressings containing [[silver sulfadiazine]] or [[Silver nanoparticles|silver nanomaterials]] are used to treat external infections. Silver is also used in some medical applications, such as [[urinary catheter]]s (where tentative evidence indicates it reduces catheter-related [[urinary tract infections]]) and in [[endotracheal tube|endotracheal breathing tubes]] (where evidence suggests it reduces ventilator-associated [[pneumonia]]).<ref>{{Cite journal
| last1 = Beattie | first1 = M.
| last2 = Taylor | first2 = J.
| doi = 10.1111/j.1365-2702.2010.03561.x
| title = Silver alloy vs. Uncoated urinary catheters: A systematic review of the literature
| journal = Journal of Clinical Nursing
| volume = 20
| issue = 15–16
| pages = 2098–108
| year = 2011
| pmid = 21418360
}}</ref><ref name="Bouadma-2012">{{cite journal|last1=Bouadma|first1=L.|last2=Wolff|first2=M.|last3=Lucet|first3=J.C.|title=Ventilator-associated pneumonia and its prevention|journal=Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases|date=August 2012|volume=25|issue=4|pages=395–404|pmid=22744316|doi=10.1097/QCO.0b013e328355a835|s2cid=41051853}}</ref> The silver [[ion]] is [[Biological activity|bioactive]] and in sufficient [[concentration]] readily kills [[bacteria]] ''[[in vitro]]''. Silver ions interfere with enzymes in the bacteria that transport nutrients, form structures, and synthesise cell walls; these ions also bond with the bacteria's genetic material. Silver and silver nanoparticles are used as an antimicrobial in a variety of industrial, healthcare, and domestic application: for example, infusing clothing with nanosilver particles thus allows them to stay odourless for longer.<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.3109/1040841X.2012.713323|title=Silver as an antimicrobial: Facts and gaps in knowledge|date=2012|last1=Maillard|first1=Jean-Yves|last2=Hartemann|first2=Philippe|journal=Critical Reviews in Microbiology|volume=39|issue=4|pages=373–83|pmid=22928774|s2cid=27527124}}</ref><ref name="Brumby et al-12" /> Bacteria can develop resistance to the antimicrobial action of silver.<ref name="Panáček-2018"/> Silver compounds are taken up by the body like [[mercury (element)|mercury]] compounds, but lack the toxicity of the latter. Silver and its alloys are used in cranial surgery to replace bone, and silver–tin–mercury amalgams are used in dentistry.<ref name="Brumby et al-7">Brumby et al. pp. 67–71</ref> [[Silver diammine fluoride]], the fluoride salt of a [[coordination complex]] with the formula [Ag(NH<sub>3</sub>)<sub>2</sub>]F, is a topical [[medicament]] (drug) used to treat and prevent [[dental caries]] (cavities) and relieve dentinal hypersensitivity.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Silver diamine fluoride: a caries "silver-fluoride bullet"|author1=Rosenblatt, A. |author2=Stamford, T.C.M. |author3=Niederman, R. |journal=Journal of Dental Research|year=2009|volume=88|issue=2|pages=116–25|doi=10.1177/0022034508329406|pmid=19278981|s2cid=30730306 }}</ref>

===Electronics===
{{see also|Copper-clad aluminium wire}}
Silver is very important in electronics for conductors and electrodes on account of its high electrical conductivity even when tarnished. Bulk silver and silver foils were used to make vacuum tubes, and continue to be used today in the manufacture of semiconductor devices, circuits, and their components. For example, silver is used in high quality connectors for [[Radio frequency|RF]], [[Very high frequency|VHF]], and higher frequencies, particularly in tuned circuits such as [[RF and microwave filter#Cavity filters|cavity filters]] where conductors cannot be scaled by more than 6%. [[Printed circuit board|Printed circuits]] and [[RFID]] antennas are made with silver paints,<ref name="Hammond-2004" /><ref>{{cite book|last1=Nikitin |first1=Pavel V. |last2=Lam |first2=Sander |last3=Rao |first3=K.V.S. |name-list-style=amp |chapter-url=http://www.ee.washington.edu/faculty/nikitin_pavel/papers/APS_2005.pdf |title=2005 IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society International Symposium |doi=10.1109/APS.2005.1552015 |isbn=978-0-7803-8883-3 |date=2005 |chapter=Low Cost Silver Ink RFID Tag Antennas |volume=2B |page=353 |s2cid=695256 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160321212851/http://www.ee.washington.edu/faculty/nikitin_pavel/papers/APS_2005.pdf |archive-date=21 March 2016 }}</ref> Powdered silver and its alloys are used in paste preparations for conductor layers and electrodes, ceramic capacitors, and other ceramic components.<ref name="Brumby et al-8">Brumby et al., pp. 71–78</ref>

===Brazing alloys===
Silver-containing [[brazing]] alloys are used for brazing metallic materials, mostly [[cobalt]], [[nickel]], and copper-based alloys, tool steels, and precious metals. The basic components are silver and copper, with other elements selected according to the specific application desired: examples include zinc, tin, cadmium, palladium, [[manganese]], and [[phosphorus]]. Silver provides increased workability and corrosion resistance during usage.<ref name="Brumby et al-9">Brumby et al., pp. 78–81</ref>

===Chemical equipment===
Silver is useful in the manufacture of chemical equipment on account of its low chemical reactivity, high thermal conductivity, and being easily workable. Silver [[crucible]]s (alloyed with 0.15% nickel to avoid recrystallisation of the metal at red heat) are used for carrying out alkaline fusion. Copper and silver are also used when doing chemistry with [[fluorine]]. Equipment made to work at high temperatures is often silver-plated. Silver and its alloys with gold are used as wire or ring seals for oxygen compressors and vacuum equipment.<ref name="Brumby et al-10">Brumby et al., pp. 81–82</ref>

===Catalysis===
Silver metal is a good catalyst for [[oxidation]] reactions; in fact it is somewhat too good for most purposes, as finely divided silver tends to result in complete oxidation of organic substances to [[carbon dioxide]] and water, and hence coarser-grained silver tends to be used instead. For instance, 15% silver supported on α-Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> or silicates is a catalyst for the oxidation of [[ethylene]] to [[ethylene oxide]] at 230–270&nbsp;°C. Dehydrogenation of [[methanol]] to [[formaldehyde]] is conducted at 600–720&nbsp;°C over silver gauze or crystals as the catalyst, as is dehydrogenation of [[isopropanol]] to [[acetone]]. In the gas phase, [[glycol]] yields [[glyoxal]] and [[ethanol]] yields [[acetaldehyde]], while organic [[amine]]s are dehydrated to [[nitrile]]s.<ref name="Brumby et al-10" />

===Photography===
Before the advent of [[digital photography]], which is now dominant, the photosensitivity of silver halides was exploited for use in traditional film photography. The [[Photographic emulsion|photosensitive emulsion]] used in black-and-white photography is a suspension of silver halide crystals in [[gelatin]], possibly mixed in with some noble metal compounds for improved photosensitivity, [[Photographic processing|developing]], and {{Clarify span|tuning|date=January 2022}}.

[[Color photography|Colour photography]] requires the addition of special dye components and sensitisers, so that the initial black-and-white silver image couples with a different dye component. The original silver images are bleached off and the silver is then recovered and recycled. Silver nitrate is the starting material in all cases.<ref name="Brumby et al-11">Brumby et al., p. 82</ref>

The market for silver nitrate and silver halides for photography has rapidly declined with the rise of digital cameras. From the peak global demand for photographic silver in 1999 (267,000,000 [[troy ounce]]s or 8,304.6 [[tonne]]s) the market contracted almost 70% by 2013.<ref name="BullionVault">{{cite web |url=http://goldnews.bullionvault.com/silver-bullion-photographic-demand-062120133 |title=A Big Source of Silver Bullion Demand Has Disappeared |access-date=20 July 2014 |publisher=BullionVault}}</ref>

===Nanoparticles===
{{Main|Silver nanoparticle}}

Nanosilver particles, between 10 and 100&nbsp;nanometres in size, are used in many applications. They are used in conductive inks for printed electronics, and have a much lower melting point than larger silver particles of micrometre size.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Zhang |first1=Junhui |last2=Ahmadi |first2=Maziar |last3=Fargas |first3=Gemma |last4=Perinka |first4=Nikola |last5=Reguera |first5=Javier |last6=Lanceros-Méndez |first6=Senentxu |last7=Llanes |first7=Luis |last8=Jiménez-Piqué |first8=Emilio |date=February 2022 |title=Silver Nanoparticles for Conductive Inks: From Synthesis and Ink Formulation to Their Use in Printing Technologies |journal=Metals |language=en |volume=12 |issue=2 |pages=234 |doi=10.3390/met12020234 |doi-access=free |issn=2075-4701}}</ref> They are also used medicinally in antibacterials and antifungals in much the same way as larger silver particles.<ref name="Brumby et al-12" /> In addition, according to the [[European Union Observatory for Nanomaterials]] (EUON), silver nanoparticles are used both in pigments, as well as cosmetics.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://euon.echa.europa.eu/url|title=Pigments – ECHA|website=euon.echa.europa.eu}}{{Dead link|date=October 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://euon.echa.europa.eu/url|title=Catalogue of cosmetic ingredients – ECHA|website=euon.echa.europa.eu}}{{Dead link|date=October 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

===Miscellanea===
[[File:Diwali sweets India 2009.jpg|thumb|A tray of [[South Asian sweets]], with some pieces covered with shiny silver ''vark'']]
Pure silver metal is used as a food colouring. It has the [[E number|E174]] designation and is approved in the [[European Union]].<ref name="Martínez-Abad-2013">{{cite journal |last1=Martínez-Abad |first1=A. |last2=Ocio |first2=M.J. |last3=Lagarón |first3=J.M. |last4=Sánchez |first4=G. |title=Evaluation of silver-infused polylactide films for inactivation of ''Salmonella'' and feline calicivirus ''in vitro'' and on fresh-cut vegetables |journal=International Journal of Food Microbiology |volume=162 |issue=1 |year=2013 |pages=89–94 |doi=10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2012.12.024|pmid=23376782 }}</ref> Traditional Indian and Pakistani dishes sometimes include decorative silver foil known as ''[[vark]]'',<ref name="Sarvate-2005">{{cite news|url=http://indiacurrents.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=b8b860cc0946bef1dbe95caddfe4bcaa |title=Silver Coating |last=Sarvate |first=Sarita |date=4 April 2005 |newspaper=India Currents |access-date=5 July 2009 |author-link=Sarita Sarvate |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090214002122/http://indiacurrents.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=b8b860cc0946bef1dbe95caddfe4bcaa |archive-date=14 February 2009 }}</ref> and in various other cultures, silver ''[[dragée]]'' are used to decorate cakes, cookies, and other dessert items.<ref name="Meisler-2005">{{cite news| url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-dec-18-tm-dragee51-story.html | work=Los Angeles Times | title=A Tempest on a Tea Cart | first=Andy | last=Meisler | date=18 December 2005}}</ref>

[[Photochromic lens]]es include silver halides, so that ultraviolet light in natural daylight liberates metallic silver, darkening the lenses. The silver halides are reformed in lower light intensities. Colourless silver chloride films are used in [[Particle detector|radiation detectors]]. [[Zeolite]] sieves incorporating Ag<sup>+</sup> ions are used to [[Desalination|desalinate]] seawater during rescues, using silver ions to precipitate chloride as silver chloride. Silver is also used for its antibacterial properties for water sanitisation, but the application of this is limited by limits on silver consumption. [[Colloidal silver]] is similarly used to disinfect closed swimming pools; while it has the advantage of not giving off a smell like [[hypochlorite]] treatments do, colloidal silver is not effective enough for more contaminated open swimming pools. Small [[silver iodide]] crystals are used in [[cloud seeding]] to cause rain.<ref name="Brumby et al-12">Brumby et al., pp. 83–84</ref>

The [[Texas Legislature]] designated silver the official precious metal of Texas in 2007.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hatch |first1=Rosie (Ed.) |title=Texas Almanac 2022–2023 |date=2022 |publisher=Texas State Historical Association |location=Austin, Texas |isbn=9781625110664 |page=23}}</ref>