Silver (Ag) is a soft and lustrous transition metal, name-giver to the colour silver, as well as to the country of Argentina (from lat. “argentum”). In nature, it occurs as alloys with copper, gold and zinc and in minerals like acanthite (Ag2S) and chlorargyrite (AgCl). Above that, it is frequently found in its pure, native form. The concentration in the earth’s crust is 0.08 ppm.
Silver exhibits the highest electrical- and thermal conductivity of all metals, together with the highest reflectivity of all metals. It is malleable and very ductile. Additionally, it is known for its antibacterial properties.
Applications of silver are versatile and range from jewellery and decorative applications, to electrical contacts and conductors. In the form of sputter targets silver is used for the fabrication of antibacterial coatings for medical devices.