SILVER CARBIDE

Source: BusinessStandard

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Context

The Odisha Chief Minister graced the ceremony of India's first silicon carbide manufacturing facility to be set up in Odisha at an investment of Rs 620 crore. The project will be developed by RIR Power Electronics Limited. 

About Silver Carbide

• Silver acetylide is an inorganic chemical compound with the formula Ag2C2, a metal acetylide.
• The compound is a silver salt of the weak acid, acetylene.
• It belongs to the group of metal carbides.
• Silver is well-known for its conductivity and antimicrobial properties.

Properties

• It is a dark powder.
• The compound is thermally unstable; it may decompose explosively at high temperatures.
• Silver carbide, under specific conditions, shows highly reactive behaviour, hence not being widely used industrially .
• It has to be handled with caution and therefore stored in an inert atmosphere.
• Silver carbide rapidly decomposes in the presence of heat or mechanical stress.

Synthesis

• Silver carbide can be formed by reacting silver nitrate with an acetylide ion in a controlled environment.
• This results in the precipitation of silver carbide as a dark solid.

Applications

• Because of its reactivity, it has been studied for decomposition reactions and the release of energy under controlled conditions.
• It is utilized in research to comprehend the behavior of transition metal carbides and their possible applications.
• Unlike more stable carbides, such as silicon carbide, which is applied widely in semiconductors, abrasives, and high-temperature materials, silver carbide is a compound that only holds academic interest.

About Silver

• Silver is a chemical element; it has symbol Ag and atomic number 47.
• A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal.
• It tarnishes slowly in air as sulfur compounds react with the surface forming black silver sulfide.
• Sterling silver contains 92.5% silver. The rest is copper or some other metal. It is used for jewellery and silver tableware. 
• Silver is used to make mirrors, as it is the best reflector of visible light known.
• It is also used in dental alloys, solder and brazing alloys, electrical contacts and batteries.
• Silver paints are used for making printed circuits. 
• Silver bromide and iodide were important in the history of photography, because of their sensitivity to light.
• Silver has antibacterial properties and silver nanoparticles are used in clothing to prevent bacteria from digesting sweat and forming unpleasant odours.
• Silver threads are woven into the fingertips of gloves so that they can be used with touchscreen phones.
• Silver has no known biological role.
• Chronic ingestion or inhalation of silver compounds can lead to a condition known as argyria, which results in a greyish pigmentation of the skin and mucous membranes.
• Silver occurs uncombined, and in ores such as argentite and chlorargyrite (horn silver). However, it is mostly extracted from lead-zinc, copper, gold and copper-nickel ores as a by-product of mining for these metals.
• The metal is recovered either from the ore, or during the electrolytic refining of copper.
• World production is about 20,000 tonnes per year.
• Rajasthan is the largest producer of silver in India, contributing over 60% to the country's total silver production. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Haryana are other major silver producing states after Rajasthan.
• Key mining sites:
  • • Khetri Copper Complex in Jhunjhunu
    • Zawar Mines in Udaipur

Sources:

BusinessStandard

PRACTICE QUESTION  Q:  In the context of Silicon Carbide, consider the following statements: 1.It is an artificial compound obtained from the mineral carborundum. 2.It is very common in outer space. Which of the statements given above are correct? a) 1 only b) 2 only c) Both 1 and 2 d) Neither 1 nor 2 Answer: b Explanation: 1st statement is incorrect: Silicon carbide, also known as carborundum, is a hard chemical compound containing silicon and carbon. A wide bandgap semiconductor, it occurs in nature as the extremely rare mineral moissanite, but has been mass-produced as a powder and crystal since 1893 for use as an abrasive. 2nd statement is correct: While rare on Earth, silicon carbide is remarkably common in space. It is a common form of stardust found around carbon-rich stars, and examples of this stardust have been found in pristine condition in primitive meteorites.