Silver is element number 47, a metal with the symbol Ag. It has been known since ancient times, and Japan has a silver mine that is a World Heritage Site.
Atomic number 47107.9
AgSilver銀 (gin)
Symbol
Ag
Atomic weight
107.9
Place in the table
Period 5 · Group 11
Atomic weight from the Chemical Society of Japan, “Table of Standard Atomic Weights with Four Significant Figures (2026)”.
Iwami Ginzan, a World Heritage Site
The Iwami Ginzan silver mine in Ōda City, Shimane Prefecture, was discovered in 1527 by Kamiya Jutei, a merchant from Hakata. After a silver-refining method called haifukihō (cupellation) was introduced in 1533, large amounts of silver were produced.
It was mined for about 400 years, until it closed in 1923. In July 2007, “Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its Cultural Landscape” became a World Heritage Site.
Ag means “silvery white”
The symbol Ag comes from argentum, Latin for “silvery white” and for silver, which looks nothing like the English word.
In Japanese eighth-grade science, heating silver oxide to break it down is one of the example experiments.
Think about it
Q1What kinds of people do you think came to live in a silver-mining town?
Q2When silver oxide is heated, what do you think it breaks down into?
Q3Look for silver-colored things around you.
There is no single right answer. Talking it over with someone at home is a good way to learn.
Did you know? — Silver is in Group 11 of the periodic table, together with gold and copper.