Silver Nitrate

About Silver Nitrate

Silver Nitrate, AgNO₃, is a white crystalline solid, in which each Ag+ center is bonded to 6 oxygens. It is prepared by reacting silver with nitric acid.

It offers several advantages over alternative salts of silver, including low cost and better stability with light exposure. It is soluble in water, but poorly soluble in most organic solvents. It reacts easily with halogens to replace the nitrate ligand, and is often used as a precursor to other silver compounds. 

Silver nitrate is widely used in manufacturing photographic emulsions and silver mirrors. Other applications include silver plating, dyeing hair, and as a colorant for Porcelain and Glass. It is also useful for organic synthesis, and staining of proteins and nucleic acids in biological research. Silver nitrate was historically valued for its antiseptic properties, and remains in use today for various medical applications.

Common Uses and Applications

• Organic synthesis
• Antiseptic
• Laboratory reagent
• Photography
• Scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
• Staining of proteins and nucleic acids
• Halide abstraction

Industries

• Research Laboratories
• Pharmaceutical Industry