Table of Contents
What is Silver Chloride?
Silver chloride is a compound made up of silver and chlorine. It is a white solid that is often used in photography. Silver chloride is also used in some types of batteries.
Physical Properties of Silver Chloride – AgCl
- Chemical Formula: AgCl
- Molar Mass: 143.32 g/mol
- Appearance: white solid
- Density: 5.5 g/cm3
- Melting Point: 961 °C
- Boiling Point: 1413 °C
Chemical Properties of Silver Chloride – AgCl
Silver chloride is a white crystalline substance that is very slightly soluble in water. It is a weak base and can used to form salts with acids.
Silver Chloride Structure
The silver chloride structure composed of a silver atom surrounded by six chlorine atoms in a square. The silver chloride molecule has a bent shape, with the silver atom at the center and the chlorine atoms at the corners.
Preparation of Silver Chloride Solution
A solution of silver chloride can be prepared by dissolving silver metal in hydrochloric acid.
Uses of Silver Chloride
Silver chloride has a variety of applications, including:
- Photography
- Electronics
- Medicine
Chemicals
Why is Silver Chloride Soluble in Ammonia and Silver Iodide is Insoluble in Ammonia?
The difference in solubility between silver chloride and silver iodide in ammonia is due to the difference in the strength of the ammonia-silver chloride and ammonia-silver iodide bonds. The ammonia-silver chloride bond is stronger than the ammonia-silver iodide bond, so silver chloride is more soluble in ammonia than silver iodide.
Is AgCl Insoluble in Water?
While AgCl is soluble in water, it is not very soluble. It has a solubility of about 2 grams per liter at room temperature.
Use of Silver Chloride as Electrode Material
The brightness of a light emitting diode (LED) determined by the forward voltage (Vf) needed to make the LED light up. The higher the Vf, the brighter the LED. Therefore silver chloride has a high Vf of 2.5 volts, which makes it a good choice for an electrode material in an LED.
Silver Chloride as Electrolyte
Silver chloride is a good electrolyte because it is soluble in water and it doesn’t react with other substances in the battery. It is also a good conductor of electricity, which means it can carry electrical current through the battery.
Get Silver Chloride from Sodium Chloride
The reaction between sodium chloride and silver nitrate yields silver chloride and also sodium nitrate.
2NaCl(aq) + AgNO3(aq) → AgCl(s) + NaNO3(aq)
Separate Silver Chloride from Water
Silver chloride can separated from water by filtering the mixture through an activated charcoal filter. The silver chloride will adsorbed to the activated charcoal while the water will flow through.
