Question

State two important uses of silver?

Answer 1

To explain the uses of silver we should know the physical properties and chemical properties of the respective metal so that we could analyze which property of the material is exploited in the industrial sector.

Complete step-by-step answer: Before discussing the uses of silver, we should have a basic idea of a few facts on silver, and about its physical and chemical properties.
Silver is one of the valuable metals like gold and it is also a rare metal and it has huge value in the trade market. Silver is represented as Ag and is placed with transition metal groups i.e. with the d-block elements. The atomic number of Ag is 47 and the molecular mass is 107.868g. Ag show +1, +2 and +3 oxidation state, but the commonly shown oxidation state is +1.
Silver is a metal which has white lustrous texture, and it has fcc structure
Because of the lustrous texture of silver it is used for making jewellery and utensils etc. The property of Ag being malleable and ductile will add on to the application of silver used in jewellery and utensils making.
The silver is too soft to be a good metal for the jewellery and utensils making, hence we add copper with gold in small amounts to get better strength. While making silver articles we alloy the silver with other metals mainly metals like copper.
The silver is a best conductor of electricity and heat, and these properties are exploited for industrial purposes.
Silver has wide applications in the medicinal field. The nanoparticles of silver are used to dress the wounds in order to prevent the external infections and compounds of silver like silver sulfadiazine are also used. And it finds applications in medical devices also as in endotracheal breathing tubes and in urinary catheters which is used to detect urinary tract infections which is associated with catheters.
Silver is a good catalyst and it finds application in oxidation reactions. And silver which has a finely divided surface is potent enough to carry out the complete oxidation reaction of organic compounds into carbon dioxide and water.

Note: Silver also finds application in photography, as the silver halides having the photosensitive nature marks silver's application in traditional photography .And the silver as such as an element has a wide range of application in jewellery making, utensils making, dentistry etc.