ELECTROLYSIS:

Electrolysis is the process that separates the elements of a compound.

through electricity. In it, the capture of electrons by cations occurs in
the cathode (a reduction) and the release of electrons by the anions at the anode
(oxidation).

SILVER
This word derives from platta which means 'metal sheet' a variety of
spoken Latin only on the Iberian Peninsula. In other Romance languages,
It also has the root of 'argemtum' which means silver.

PESO ATOMICO: 107.88 Nº ATOMICO: 47

Metal silver Silver

native
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
Silver is a white metal, somewhat yellowish, capable of acquiring great
polishing and shine.
When it is pure, it is less tenacious than copper and more than gold.
- SILVER (Ag)
It is pure white and allows for a shiny polish.
It is malleable.
Es dúctil (menos que el oro).
It alloys with most metals.
Hardness of 2.5 to 3.
Great thermal and electrical conductivity.
Good for chemical installations.
 Boiling point: 2212°C.
Melting point: 962°C.
It is obtained through various procedures: Amalgamation, cyanidation,
pyrochemical, coppeling and electrolysis.
Most important producing countries: Mexico, USSR, Canada, Peru and
U.S.
Chemical characteristics:
Atomic number: 47
Valencia: 1
Electronegatividad: 1,9
Atomic mass g/mol: 1 07.87 [Link] -1
Standard potential: 0.779 V (Ag+ / Ag)
Radio iónico (nm): 0,126
Atomic radius (nm): 0.144
Chemical properties:
Resists the action of alkaline solutions, molten alkalis, and of the
majority of organic acids.
Reacts with Oxygen. Oxygen diffuses through silver much more
easier than through other metals; and silver is the only metal that expels the
oxygen from its solution, upon solidifying.
In solid state, oxygen is very poorly soluble in silver.
It does not oxidize easily (like iron), but it reacts with sulfur or sulfide.
of hydrogen to form the known tarnished silver. For this activity, it
it is used extensively as an oxidizing catalyst in the production of certain materials
organic.
Silver is almost always monovalent in its compounds, but there are known
divalent oxides, fluoride, and sulfide. Some coordination compounds of the
Silver contains divalent and trivalent silver.
It is very scarce in nature, representing one part in 10 million.
Earth's crust. Most of its production is obtained as a byproduct.
of the treatment of copper, zinc, lead, and gold mines.

In which minerals are found:

Silver is found in its native state, like gold, and with quite a richness.
Large. Native copper generally contains silver. Silver is also found in
sulfurated compounds more or less complex.
Native Silver is a rare manifestation of the element 'Silver', which
commonly found mixed with other substances forming minerals such as
galena and pirargyrite among others, being rare to find it in native state, for
what is highly sought after among collectors.
Composition: 100% native silver with the possibility of Au, Hg, Bi, Pt.
Specific weight: 10 - 11 g/cm3 (Very heavy)
Hardness: 2.5 - 3 (Soft)
Color: Characteristic silver white, sometimes blackened or yellowed due to alteration.
Ray: Typical very bright white.
Shine: Metallic in recent cut.
Transparencia:Opaca
Fracture: Hooked or splintered
Exfoliation: Without exfoliation
Tenacity: Ductile and malleable
Distribution frequency: Rarely
Silver is a byproduct in the extraction of copper, nickel, and gold.
recovery of lead and zinc from the roasting of pyrites and from recycling
some solutions, like those used in photographic development. It is estimated
that only a third of the silver obtained comes from its ores, the rest is
byproduct.
What is its biological function:
Silver is used mainly for photographic plates and films, for objects
of art, jewelry, cutlery, for electrical and electronic equipment, is also used
in some medications.
Relatively small amounts of silver are bactericidal or bacteriostatic and
they are limitedly applied in the disinfection of pool waters.
The ingestion of medications containing silver can cause argyria.
which besides giving a bluish-gray coloration to the skin, causes a disposition of
In the dermis and hair follicles, as well as sweat and sebaceous glands.
This condition is detected in workers exposed industrially. In addition to
that forms silver accumulations in various organs of the body.

Industrial applications:
The silver is in the use of glass and mirrors. For some years now, the
silver to give a microscopic coating to certain crystals, this
silver coating and also transparent provides the windows with a
thermal capacity, that is, it reflects the hot summer sun outward
preventing it from entering the room, which helps to maintain the temperature
internal of the place without getting warm.
Silver, in the form of crystals or as a sieve, is used to manufacture formaldehyde and
other chemical compounds, such as norbornyl oxyacetaldehyde, a
chemical compound used to enhance the aroma of perfumes and colognes.
This compound is produced by oxidizing the corresponding alcohol over a sieve.
silver manufactured catalyst.
Applications: As an alloy in the manufacture of coins, electrotechnics, goldsmithing, objects
of decorations, plaques and sports trophies, photography, medicine, etc.
Toxicity:
Low toxicity
ISOTOPES:
There are more than 50 isotopes of silver that can have a lifespan.
from 700 nanoseconds which is Ag to 418 years which is Ag 108,
y las platas aparentemente estables son el Ag 107 y el Ag 109.
MINERALS THAT MAKE IT UP:

This category includes the following 45 pages:

A Argirodita

Acantita

Balkanita

Little Aguilar

Boleíta

Silver

Andorita

Bromargirita
C

Argentite

Clorargyrite

Little square

D
 Disgrace Krennerita
E L

Estefanita (mineral) Lengenbachite

Marrita

Eugenita
F

Matildita

Fettelita

Mckinstryita

Freiberg
J

Jalpaíta

Miargirita

K
 Moschellandsbergita Little Pirquita

Polibasita

Pavonita

Pearceite
Proustita

Petzita Quetzalcoatlita

Pirargirita R

Pirostilpnita Routhierite

S
Samsonite

Stutzite
U
Schachnerita
Uchucchacuaíta

Silvanita
Uytenbogaardtita

Sternbergite W

Weishanita

Stromeyerite
X

Xantoconita

Y
Yodargirita
PRODUCTION PROCESS:
For substances extracted from photographic plates with certain reagents or from
bleaching detergents etc that may contain silver but in lesser amounts.
amount that the first one.
In the process of electrolysis, or electrolytic silver recovery, a
direct current passes through a silver-rich solution between a
positive electrode (the anode) and a negative electrode (the cathode).
ELECTROLYSIS During this electrochemical process, an electron is transferred
from the cathode to the positively charged silver, converting it to its state
metallic, which adheres to the cathode. In a simultaneous reaction in the
anode, an electron is removed from some species in solution. In the
Most of the silver-rich solutions, this electron comes from the sulfite.
A view of these reactions is:
Cathode: Ag(S2O3)2 –3 + e– → Ag0 + 2(S2O3)–2 o
Silver Thiosulfate Complex + Electron → Metallic Silver + Thiosulfate
Ánodo: SO3 –2 + H2O → SO4 –2 + 2H+ + 2e– o
Sulfite + Water → Sulfate + Hydrogen Ions + Electrons
Electrolysis produces almost pure metallic silver, contaminated only
slightly due to some superficial reactions that also occur. The
silver electroplating must have a purity greater than 90%.

ELECTROLYSIS TERMINAL
It is for when there are high iron solutions that other reagents need to be added such as
sodium hydroxide, sodium carbonate or sodium bicarbonate and it only works when the
pH is around [Link] the current recovery sales team, this is
it can be carried out in one of two ways:
The cathode is moved within the solution. The most common application is the
rotating cell of the cathode. Negative current is applied to a cylinder.
rotating in the solution and the silver sheets on top of the cylinder. Due to
the high efficiency of mass transfer in electrolytic cells
from this design, these can be used effectively to treat
iron-rich bleaching-fixing solutions that are traditionally
difficult to displace. • The liquid is quickly pumped over the cathode
stationary. This design is often less efficient than the cells
cathode rotatives; however, these units usually require
less maintenance. The electrolytic recovery of silver has its
desventajas. Intentos de acelerar el proceso de recuperación, o de desplatar
at silver concentrations below 200 mg/L -through the extension
of permanent time in the cell or increasing the density of the
current (amperage/area of the cathode surface) at the cathode -
it will produce a lower layer, crumbly, blackened, contaminated with
silver sulfide, which dramatically reduces the efficiency of the sheet.
Bleach-fixing solutions, in particular, must be adjusted to the pH.
alkaline between 7.8 and 8.0 to prevent the iron complex from oxidizing and
soluble in electro-plated silver. (The bleach-fixer should not be left in
the cell when it is off, as the solution may re-dissolve or
dissolve the silver from the cathode.

ELECTRICITY ONLINE
Some photographic processing facilities use recirculation of
fixative in the online electrolysis process. With this technology, the fixative
it is recirculated between the tank for processing and a unit
specially designed for the electrolytic recovery of silver.
Some of these units have electronic systems that
they automatically control the concentration of silver in the solution
recirculated, usually between 250 to 1,000 mg/L. As the concentration
silver is significantly reduced in the fixer, silver in the tank
for cleaning that follows is also reduced as a consequence of less
silver "carried" with the film or the paper to the cleaning during the
processing. If needed, you can add more sulfite to the fixer or you can
use a special formulation of the fixer with high sulfite to compensate for the
reduction of sulfite during electrolysis and recirculation. In certain
processes, it is possible to reduce the percentage of having to add by up to 50%
more fixer, since properly adjusted equipment does not break down
significantly the majority of the components of the fixer. It must
refine the recirculation systems by reviewing the concentration of the
silver in the drain that returns to the processing tank.
MAIN USES OF SILVER:
NATIONAL LEVEL PRODUCERS:
WEB REFERENCES:
Biweekly Report of the National Society of Mining, Oil, and Energy
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
2218437
[Link]
[Link]
Kodac Environmental Services
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
[Link]. CHEMICAL PRACTICES FOR LECTURES AND
LABORATORIES, National Ed., Mexico 1966 4th edition.
Keenan/Wood, CHEMISTRY, [Link], Mexico 1987.
Irma González Castro, López Anaya Lucia, et al. CHEMISTRY III: INDUSTRY
CHEMISTRY, MINING - METALLURGY AND FERTILIZERS. University
National Autonomous University of Mexico. College of Sciences and Humanities, Campus
Azcapotzalco 2005.
Ralph A. Burns. FUNDAMENTALS OF CHEMISTRY, Mexico, Pearson Editorial
Education of Mexico, S.A. de C.V. 2003.