Silver oxide is the

chemical compound A chemical compound is a chemical substance composed of many identical molecules (or molecular entities) containing atoms from more than one chemical element held together by chemical bonds. A molecule consisting of atoms of only one element ...

with the

formula In science, a formula is a concise way of expressing information symbolically, as in a mathematical formula or a ''chemical formula''. The informal use of the term ''formula'' in science refers to the general construct of a relationship betwe ...

Ag₂ O. It is a fine black or dark brown powder that is used to prepare other

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

compounds.

Preparation

Silver oxide can be prepared by combining aqueous solutions of

silver nitrate Silver nitrate is an inorganic compound with chemical formula . It is a versatile precursor to many other silver compounds, such as those used in photography. It is far less sensitive to light than the halides. It was once called ''lunar causti ...

and an alkali hydroxide. This reaction does not afford appreciable amounts of silver hydroxide due to the favorable energetics for the following reaction: :( p''K'' = 2.875) With suitably controlled conditions, this reaction can be used to prepare Ag₂O powder with properties suitable for several uses including as a fine grained conductive paste filler.

Structure and properties

Ag₂O features linear, two-coordinate Ag centers linked by tetrahedral oxides. It is isostructural with Cu₂O. It "dissolves" in solvents that degrade it. It is slightly soluble in water due to the formation of the ion and possibly related hydrolysis products. It is soluble in

ammonia Ammonia is an inorganic chemical compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the chemical formula, formula . A Binary compounds of hydrogen, stable binary hydride and the simplest pnictogen hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a distinctive pu ...

solution, producing active compound of

Tollens' reagent Tollens' reagent (chemical formula Ag(NH3)2OH) is a chemical reagent used to distinguish between aldehydes and ketones along with some alpha-hydroxy ketones which can tautomerize into aldehydes. The reagent consists of a solution of silver n ...

. A

slurry A slurry is a mixture of denser solids suspended in liquid, usually water. The most common use of slurry is as a means of transporting solids or separating minerals, the liquid being a carrier that is pumped on a device such as a centrifugal pu ...

of Ag₂O is readily attacked by

acid An acid is a molecule or ion capable of either donating a proton (i.e. Hydron, hydrogen cation, H+), known as a Brønsted–Lowry acid–base theory, Brønsted–Lowry acid, or forming a covalent bond with an electron pair, known as a Lewis ...

s: : where HX = HF, HCl, HBr, HI, or CF₃COOH. It will also react with solutions of alkali chlorides to precipitate

silver chloride Silver chloride is an inorganic chemical compound with the chemical formula Ag Cl. This white crystalline solid is well known for its low solubility in water and its sensitivity to light. Upon illumination or heating, silver chloride converts ...

, leaving a solution of the corresponding alkali hydroxide.General Chemistry by

Linus Pauling Linus Carl Pauling ( ; February 28, 1901August 19, 1994) was an American chemist and peace activist. He published more than 1,200 papers and books, of which about 850 dealt with scientific topics. ''New Scientist'' called him one of the 20 gre ...

, 1970 Dover ed. p703-704 Despite the photosensitivity of many silver compounds, silver oxide is not photosensitive, although it readily decomposes at temperatures above 280 °C.Merck Index of Chemicals and Drugs
, 14th ed. monograph 8521

Applications

This oxide is used in silver-oxide batteries. In organic chemistry, silver oxide is used as a mild

oxidizing agent An oxidizing agent (also known as an oxidant, oxidizer, electron recipient, or electron acceptor) is a substance in a redox chemical reaction that gains or " accepts"/"receives" an electron from a (called the , , or ''electron donor''). In ot ...

. For example, it oxidizes

aldehyde In organic chemistry, an aldehyde () (lat. ''al''cohol ''dehyd''rogenatum, dehydrogenated alcohol) is an organic compound containing a functional group with the structure . The functional group itself (without the "R" side chain) can be referred ...

s to

carboxylic acid In organic chemistry, a carboxylic acid is an organic acid that contains a carboxyl group () attached to an Substituent, R-group. The general formula of a carboxylic acid is often written as or , sometimes as with R referring to an organyl ...

References

External links

Annealing of Silver Oxide
– Demonstration experiment: Instruction and video {{Silver compounds Silver compounds Transition metal oxides