Did You Know: Silver, Copper & Gold

Ok, so at my full time job I have this white board that I place cool facts on almost everyday. I started it because I don't like redundancy or the relentless repetition of a "normal work day". So, I decided to learn new facts everyday and to share that knowledge with my coworkers because I love to learn new things and i like it when others around me do too. It's kind of funny :-). When I first started my did you know board, people sometimes forgot it was there. But now, many of my coworkers will remind me to change the facts when I forget, lol (...a little shout out to Robert ;-P). It's great to have someone to remind you sometimes...

So, today you can join in on the fun. Plus, if you have fact you'd like to share, place them in the comment section. Or if you'd like to hear some facts about a particular subject, just let me know. I enjoy the chase for facts. For today the knowledge may seem useless, but tomorrow you'll be practicing its usage. Also, if you think my facts are wrong or out dated, don't grumble about it, comment about it!

Silver, Copper, & Gold...Oh my!

“Silence is golden; speech is silver.” ~ An American Proverb
So let's talk silver, shall we?
In Chemistry we learn that silver has the symbol Ag on the periodic table. The name silver comes from the Anglo-Saxan word seolfor. The symbol Ag came from the Latin word argentum. Silver has 47 protons ans 61 neutrons. It is the highest conductor of electricity and heat out of all the elements. It has a melting point of 961.93 degrees Celsius. And it tarnishes when when exposed to hydrogen (which is in the air). Silver is used as a precious metal, in coinage, jewelry, tableware, photography, dental alloys, and in the form of Silver fulminate it is an explosive. Sterling Silver is 92.5% Silver and 7.5% Copper.
Silver can be easily cleaned with a polishing cloth or other methods, but be careful if there are stones or gems on the piece. Porous gems normally do not like chemicals. also if you are going to use an abrasive cleaning method, remember silver is a relatively soft metal...so be gentle.

"Copper is like the sand of the sea or the clay of the earth... warm, strong, and always calm." ~Jeeks
Copper has the symbol Cu, which came from the Latin word cuprum. Copper has 29 protons and 35 neutrons. It's a good conductor of electricity and heat. it has a melting point of 1084.62 °C and it's a harder metal than silver and gold. Copper is sensitive to moisture in the air which can change the color of copper or oxidize it. The products in the darker color are copper sulfate, copper oxide, or copper cloride. Copper can be protected from moisture by using lacquer. Lacquer can be removed by using acetone (or finger nail polish), alcohol, lacquer thinner, fine grade steel wool, or by boiling 2 gallons of water w/ 1 cup of washing soda in it. If you'd rather have copper in its natural state. Non treated copper can be cleaned with a little lemon juice and salt or by using a polishing cloth. Copper has many applications:

Bacteria will not grow on a copper surface because it is biostatic. Thus copper doorknobs are used by hospitals to reduce the transfer of disease.

Copper is essential in all plants and animals. Copper is carried mostly in the bloodstream on a plasma protein called ceruloplasmin.

Copper is used in making money, jewelry, building structures and many other applications.

Some people use copper to alleviate the cramp-like pains of menstration.

It can prevent wear and tear and calcification of the joints.

“Make new friends but keep the old ones; one is silver and the other's gold”~ Proverb
Lets talk about old friend Gold.
Gold is an element with the symbol Au which was derived from its Latin name Aurum. It has 79 protons and 118 neutrons. Heat, moisture, oxygen, and most corrosive agents have very little chemical effect on gold. Gold has a melting point of 1064.18 °C. Today, at least 15% of annual gold consumption is recycled each year. Gold has been used as a component in electronics, to make jewelry, as an addition to deserts, to adorn Elvis' 3 cars, in coffee filters, in coinage, etc.

Well, that's all folks...at least for now.

Jeeks