Silver mining: origin and unique properties, mining technologies, application

Silver is a noble metal with a characteristic silvery-white color. It has been known since ancient times and is mined on different continents. The metal is popular in jewelry, medicine, various industries and industries.

From Macedonski to Sapkowski

In the troops of Alexander the Great, military leaders were sick less often than privates. But both the food and the conditions during the hikes were the same for everyone. The reason for good health (as medical historians suggest) is in the dishes. The rank and file ate from tin plates, while the military leaders were given silver plates.

Our Russian ruble is inextricably linked with silver. No, there is currently no precious metal in ruble and other consumable coins. But the coin got its name from the word “chopping.” In Ancient Rus', silver ingots or rods were in circulation; they were called hryvnias. A piece was cut off from them (corresponding to the price of the product), and it was called a ruble.

Mystical powers have always been attributed to the precious metal. Protection from any evil spirits (even vampires and werewolves, who could only be killed by silver weapons), from the evil eye and other horrors of the night.

Those who have read Sapkowski's books about the witcher Herald (or played computer games based on the book) know: the witcher's sword was made of pure silver metal. After all, the Rivan’s profession was the destruction of all kinds of evil spirits.

Chemistry and physics of noble metal

Silver has amazing properties.

It is the champion in electrical conductivity among metals. This metal has the highest thermal conductivity. The reflection of infrared and light waves by silver reaches 99%.

The density of lunar metal is 10.5 g/cm³. It is heavier than copper, but lighter than lead.

The hardness of silver is 2.5-3; it is a soft, malleable, ductile metal.

Historical reference

Even in ancient times, people discovered silver and attributed noble meaning to it. Archaeologists, conducting excavations, have discovered silver items all over the world: Scandinavia, South America, the Middle East, etc. Silver items were also found among the ancient Egyptians before the rise of pharaohs and dynasties.

Silver was believed to have magical and healing properties. In ancient times, people believed that silver represented the Moon, and alchemists included the metal as a chemical element in their experiments.

Loot: we take it where we find it

Gold and silver are found in the form of nuggets. Therefore, both metals have been used by people since ancient times, and silver was often valued more than gold.

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In the 15th century, on the border between Saxony and Bohemia, a block of pure native silver weighing 20 tons was discovered.

The Canadian nugget was almost 30 meters long and weighed about 20 tons. Because of its shape, it was called the “silver sidewalk.”

But such cases are rare; Silver in its native state is less common than gold.

Most often, silver ores occur in the form of veins and mineralized zones in volcanic belts.

Lunar metal can be mined in:

• Peru;
• Mexico;
• Chile;
• Germany;
• USA;
• China;
• Russia.
• Australia.

Many countries do not advertise statistics on the production of the precious metal. But what is certain is that the demand for it is increasing, and we should expect an increase in its production in the world.

Only a quarter of silver is mined directly from silver deposits. The rest of the metal is obtained as a by-product from the mining of gold, copper, and lead.

More than 50 natural silver minerals are known, of which only 15–20 are of industrial importance:

• native silver;
• electrum (gold-silver);
• kustelite (silver-gold);
• argentite (silver-sulfur);
• proustite (silver-arsenic-sulfur);
• bromargerite (silver-bromine);
• kerargyrite (silver-chlorine);
• pyrargyrite (silver-antimony-sulfur);
• stephanite (silver-antimony-sulfur);
• polybasite (silver-copper-antimony-sulfur);
• freibergite (copper-sulfur-silver);
• argentoyarosite (silver-iron-sulfur);
• dyscrazite (silver-antimony);
• aguilarite (silver-selenium-sulfur).

World reserves

According to information provided by the US Geological Survey, the top places in the table of the world's leading powers with the largest reserves of silver are:

• Peru and Poland. Both have about 110 thousand tons of this precious metal. There are other data: Peru – 120 thousand tons. Poland – 100 thousand tons.
• Australia – 89 thousand tons.
• China – 41 thousand tons.
• Mexico – 37 thousand tons.
• Chile – 26 thousand tons.
• USA – 25 thousand tons.

There are no data for the Russian Federation, although according to estimates by a number of experts, the proven reserves of this mineral in our country are about 70 thousand tons (according to other sources, they are estimated at 45 thousand tons). It is clear that it is not possible to accurately calculate underground reserves.

Application

Noble metal works for the needs of people. In the production of electrical and electronic products, in solders for critical products, in the jewelry industry.

Silver iodide is used to disperse clouds (and you wonder why the weather is always good in the capital during the holidays...).

Used to disinfect water, but on a large scale it is not economically viable.

For high quality mirrors, silver is used (simple mirrors use aluminum). Mirrors with precious metal are used to supply solar energy to desalination plants in Saudi Arabia (they have a lot of money, but fresh water is tight).

Food additive E174 is silver; used in the preparation of desserts and culinary products (expensive, it must be said, products). If you are a fan of “silver food delights,” do not forget: the permissible daily dose of metal is no more than 7 milligrams per day.

This is a small list of places where you cannot do without precious metal.

Dissolution with nitric acid

Silver nitrate is prepared immediately for the entire process - usually 50 grams of metal per liter of solvent is taken (to obtain this ratio, 32 g of scrap is dissolved in 80 g of hydrogenated nitric oxide V). The acid must be diluted in equal proportions with water and mixed with a glass rod. It is possible to refining silver with nitrate by mixing ammonium nitrate with an electrolyte (with a reaction of the medium less than 7) to obtain the same HNO3. Pieces of silver are added to the resulting solution. The mixture must be left for 10-11 hours, since the transition of the metal into a suspended state will not occur immediately. Violent release of red-brown gas is possible. If the solution acquires bluish or greenish tints, this indicates the presence of vitriol or iron impurities. Refining silver with nitric acid works better in cases where there is no intense coloration.

We heal with lunar metal

People have known about the anti-inflammatory properties of silver for a long time. In America, Indians disinfected water with pieces of hot metal. And the white settlers of the New World put a silver coin in a pot of milk to prevent it from turning sour.

Silver coins

Interesting: in Russia, for this purpose, they took a frog from the nearest pond. And for good reason - research by chemists from Moscow State University has proven that amphibians secrete antimicrobial and antifungal substances into their skin.

Modern silver preparations (collargol, protargol) relieve:

• erysipelas;
• purulent conjunctivitis;
• rhinitis;
• purulent wounds.

The healing properties of the noble metal include the antiseptic and healing properties.

Caution: prolonged use of drugs with silver threatens argyrosis. With this disease, the skin and mucous membranes take on a silvery or bluish-gray color. Colloidal silver taken long-term and in large doses can cause pulmonary edema, bone marrow dysfunction, and even coma. We recommend: COBALT - a generous gift from mountain spirits

Silver, like its patroness the Moon, favors women. Therefore, jewelry made from lunar metal will be useful for women during PMS who are prone to hysteria and inappropriate behavior.

Water has long been infused with silver and drunk. This water is useful for gastrointestinal diseases and throat diseases. Problems with the cardiovascular system should be treated by a doctor, but wearing silver jewelry (as esotericists say) will be useful.

Silver is now again attracting the attention of doctors. Water infused with a noble metal, if taken constantly, strengthens the immune system and does not suppress the intestinal microflora (which is the sin of all antibiotics).

And the ability of the precious metal to heal wounds and cuts has been used by doctors for a long time.

Silver water has a beneficial effect on the skin. It’s not for nothing that cosmetic companies produce product lines with “white gold”.

Mine Development Methods

Historians believe that silver mining first began about 7 thousand years ago. Ancient people knew only nuggets. It was found with great difficulty, because the ingots were often covered with a coating of sulfide. Until the second century BC, argentum was valued much more than gold. Mines began to form in Spain. In the modern world, people extract most of this metal using pyrometallurgical processing.

Ore mining occurs in open or closed ways. First, geologists, using specialized instruments, determine the presence of various minerals and precious metals in the bowels of the earth. After discovery, development of the site begins. The raised ore is crushed, and then silver is extracted from it using cyanidation or amalgamation.

Amalgamation has been used for more than two thousand years. The method is based on the fact that the metal reacts well with mercury. The crushed rock is passed through liquid metal. After the excess mercury is removed, solid particles of the reacted substance will remain. The evaporation of the mercury will leave behind pure silver, which will later be smelted into ingots.

Cyanidation involves dissolving argentum in cyanide alkalis. After filtering the solution, the metal is precipitated. All other impurities are easily removed with sulfuric acid.

Silver magic

The magical properties of the noble metal are recognized even by the church. Epiphany water is blessed with a silver cross; this water is healing. It is good for every baptized person to wear a silver cross.

The magic of silver absorbs negativity directed at the owner of the jewelry. If a precious metal cannot cope with the flow of negative energy (think about who you have annoyed so much), it darkens or even turns black. By the way, this also happens if the owner of the silver jewelry is sick. In any case, it is advisable to visit a doctor and esotericist.

If possible, place a silver figurine, candlestick, or vase in your apartment. This will clear the room of negativity. Don’t forget to inspect the product - it has darkened, changed color - it has accumulated negativity, it’s time to do a “magic cleaning”.

Silver vases

The custom of giving a baby a silver spoon as a gift is useful, researchers of the precious metal have no doubt about it.

Silver spoons

For women, wearing lunar metal bracelets means enhancing their feminine attractiveness. Earrings will help cope with migraines and headaches.

A belt with a silver buckle will help men and women improve their health. Just make sure the buckle is just below your belly button.

Electrolysis of salt solutions

Let's consider the production of silver by electrolysis of its salts. An electrical circuit is assembled in which a galvanic dry element acts as a current source. The maximum current in the circuit should not exceed 0.01 A. When using a dry battery (4.5 V), the current is limited by adding a conductor with a resistance of no more than 1000 Ohms.

Any glass vessel can serve as a bath for the silvering process. The anode of the bath is a metal plate with a thickness of 1 mm and an area slightly larger than that of the part itself. Silver is chosen for the anodic coating. The working solution (electrolyte) for producing silver is a solution of lapis. Before lowering it into the silvering bath, it is necessary to degrease and polish the part, then wipe it with toothpaste.

After removing the fat, it is washed with running water. Complete degreasing can be judged by uniform wetting of the entire surface of the part with water. When washing, use tweezers so that no greasy fingerprints remain on the part. Immediately after washing, the part is fixed on a wire and placed in the bath. The time to obtain silver with a silver anode is 30 - 40 minutes.

If stainless steel is chosen as the anode, then the speed of the process changes. Obtaining silver from nitrate will take 30 minutes.

The part removed from the bath is thoroughly washed, dried, and polished to a shine. When a dark silver deposit forms, the current decreases; for this, additional resistance is connected. This makes it possible to improve the quality of silver production using the electrochemical method. To ensure uniform coating during the electrolysis process, the part is periodically rotated. You can put the metal on brass, steel, bronze.

Star preferences for lunar metal

Astrologers have always associated silver with our satellite the Moon. The purity, whiteness, secrecy and discreetness of the precious metal cannot but be associated with the same qualities of the Moon.

For zodiac signs, lunar metal is acceptable and useful. However, it will have the greatest influence on the signs of Water (these are Pisces, Scorpios, Cancers - their night ruler, the Moon). The “Wolf Sun,” as some peoples call the Moon, will provide water signs with subtle intuition and the ability to get around “sharp corners.”

Air signs will also receive the support of the night luminary. Just remember to take a break from lunar decorations sometimes.

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Earth and Fire signs can be treated with silver. But they are not recommended to constantly wear jewelry made of precious metal.

Silver extraction methods

In the past, silver nuggets were found more often. The mineral was heated under the influence of fire, purified, and ingots were created. Modern technologies are significantly different.

Extraction is performed in several stages:

• On the territory of the deposit, drillers create holes into which explosives are placed.
• After pyrotechnic work, fossil fragments rise to the surface.
• The ore is carefully examined.
• A special crusher is used to crush the rock.

Precious metals mining methods:

1. Cyanidation. Treatment of the rock with a mixture of oxygen and cyanide allows for the dissolution of the target raw material. In liquid form, the metal undergoes filtration. The silver particles are attracted to the zinc, which is used to treat the internal surfaces of the tanks for cleaning. This method allows you to obtain 50% of ready-to-use raw materials. Oxygen and cyanide alone cannot transform the ore. The result can only be obtained through their interaction.
2. Amalgamation is the treatment of fossils with mercury, after which you will have to get rid of excess moisture. The ore is exposed to temperatures of 1000 degrees. Chemicals are added to the molten materials to prevent the silver from burning out. After this, repeated heat treatment is performed. As a result, it is possible to obtain in molten form all the metals contained in the ore.

Amalgamation creates a substance from which the liquid must be evaporated. Dry silver dust is mixed with additives and sent back to the furnace. After 4 hours, the substance melts and pours into molds. Separated from other elements, the silver cools in 5 minutes in the casting container.

Let it be as bright as the moon

For silver, unfavorable factors are:

• human sweat;
• cosmetic and medicinal preparations containing sulfur, iodine;
• taking vitamin and mineral supplements;
• high temperature (bath, sauna).

All this can harm the color and appearance of the silver item.

Cleaning silver at home is easy. Hold the product in soapy water, rinse, and wipe dry with flannel or suede.

Take your jewelry to a jeweler at least once a year. It will restore the shine and pristine beauty of your favorite trinket using special means.

Good to know: do not try on other people's silver jewelry and do not let them measure your own.

Jewelry delights

The use of lunar metal in jewelry fashion is understandable and justified. The discreet beauty of the metal allows you to wear silver jewelry with almost any clothing; reasonable prices make such jewelry accessible to many.

How to decorate silver

There are different coatings to highlight the jeweler's idea. This:

1. Rhodium plating is the coating of a product with the thinnest layer of rhodium. As a result, the decoration always remains light and shiny. Many connoisseurs of silver products believe that this shine is unnatural. For those who wear silver, such products are useless for protection against damage.
2. Blackening. Some jewelry requires an "antique look." So a layer of “niello” (a mixture of copper, sulfur, and silver sulfides) is applied to the product.
3. Oxidation. Preventive and controlled oxidation of jewelry. A layer of silver oxide is applied to its surface, the product darkens slightly and evenly, but the metal does not oxidize during wear.
4. Gilding. The oldest way to decorate products made from our precious metal. A thin layer of gold is applied to the surface. However, gold-plated products require careful care and operation.

Chemistry of the process

What processes are involved in obtaining silver? The reactions are based on the location of the metal after hydrogen at a range of standard electrode potentials. At the cathode, the reduction of silver cations from its nitrate into pure metal will occur. At the anode, water is oxidized, accompanied by the formation of gaseous oxygen, since lapis is formed by an oxygen-containing acid. The overall electrolysis equation is as follows:

4Ag NO3 + 2H2O electrolysis 4Ag + O2 + 4HNO3