Ag + + e − → Ag (liberation of a silver ion, which gains an electron to become a silver atom) The process is not reversible because the silver atom liberated is typically found at a crystal defect or an impurity site, so that the electron's energy is lowered enough that it is "trapped". read more
In fact, Ag is short for argentums, the Latin word for silver. The word "silver" is from the Anglo-Saxon word seolfor. The first huge silver strike in the United States was Nevada's Comstock Lode, first discovered in 1857 by two brothers who died before they could reap the benefits of their claim. read more
Digital photography may now have eclipsed the silver image, but the metal's ability to conduct has given it an important role in the digital age. Silver is used on circuit boards and in batteries, where the conduction speed is needed that copper for example, can't quite deliver. Even its most outdated properties are making resurgence. read more