Silver has been used for thousands of years as ornaments and utensils, for trade, and as the basis for many monetary systems. The technological revolution has transformed silver, the old metal of coin and art, into a key component of electronics, X-rays, photography, computers, aerospace and medicine. Silver probably has the broadest range of applications of any metal.
As a precious metal, silver is still used in coinage programs in many countries, however, about one quarter of the world's annual silver supply is consumed in photography.
Silver is the most reflective metal and can be buffed to a higher polish than any other metal, a quality highlighted in reflective coatings on glass, cellophane and metals. The film coating on mirror backings is a common "industrial" use of silver. Besides vanity uses, mirrors are important components in telescopes, microscopes and solar panels.
Silver alloys readily with gold and copper and is commonly combined with one or both for manufacture of dental fillings and fixtures, jewelry and silverware. Silver's superior ductility and reflective luster make it a better metal for jewelry than the more brittle and duller gray finish of platinum.
Silver compounds may grow very rapidly in use as wood preservatives (for decking, outdoor furniture, railroad ties, telephone poles, etc.) as a substitute for arsenic compounds, which are toxic to the environment. Paints containing silver compounds may gradually replace those currently used for marine anti-fouling coatings for boats, docks, piers, etc.
Silver is the best heat conductor of all metals. Its uses in solar panels and automobile rear window defoggers take advantage of this quality.
Silver has the highest electrical conductivity of all metals. In fact silver defines conductivity - all other metals are compared against it. Silver also possesses the unique ability to not spark. These facts make its use in circuits and electrical contacts irreplaceable. Silver is also utilized in batteries where dependability is mandatory and weight restrictions apply, such as those for portable surgical tools, hearing aids, pacemakers and space travel.
Silver tape is a critical component of high temperature superconductive wires, which can carry more electrical current than conventional wire bundles, with far less resistance and in a fraction of the space. Superconductive cables will be a critical component of power grids of the future, especially in metropolitan areas where space is at a premium and the existing power infrastructure must carry greater current loads.
Silver has the unique ability to "wet" (join) many other metals far below their melting points. It is this quality that consumes silver in many soldering and brazing applications and why it is commonly used in tubing and electrical conduits for household appliances such as refrigerators and dishwashers. Silver is replacing tin/lead solders in many applications - for its higher conductivity and to eliminate the use of lead for environmental reasons.
Silver has a pure sweet acoustic resonance, better than any other metal, and is preferred by musicians for making high quality silver bells and musical instruments.
Silver is replacing the use of chlorine, which is now suspected to have long-term toxic effects, in water filtration systems for hospitals, apartments, pools, schools and municipalities.
One of the most fascinating properties of silver is its bactericidal quality. Small concentrations of silver or silver salts kill bacteria by chemically affecting the cell membranes, causing them to break down. Bacteria do not develop resistance to silver, as they do to many antibiotics. Because of its bactericidal properties, silver nitrate drops are used to clean the eyes of newborns in much of the world. Silver rich creams are common household ointments for burns. Cotton gauze soaked in silver solution is proving a miracle cure for intensive care burn victims. While silver keeps bacteria at bay, it also cauterizes minor capillaries, preventing blood loss, and the buildup of excessive scar tissue. Silver gauze is used to pack wounds of patients during transport to medical facilities. It is relatively inert in the human body, so it is commonly used to pin fractured bones, and sew large wounds.
More than two-thirds of world resources of silver are associated with copper, lead and zinc deposits, often at great depths. The remaining reserves are in vein deposits in which gold is the most valuable metallic component.
The largest producers of silver ore are Mexico, Peru, China and Australia. Canada, the United States, Chile and Poland also produce significant amounts of copper.
The outlook in 2005 and beyond is promising for the silver market, due to continuing investment demand and the many new applications of silver in industrial products.