Silver Element, Alloys and Symbols

• Native Silver, Ag.         
• Proustite,3Ag₂S.As2S₃.
• Argentite, As₂S.          
• Stephanite, 5Ag₂S.Sb₂S₃.
• Stromeyerite , Ag2S.Cu2S.  
• Polybasite, 9Ag2S.Sb2S₃.
• Sylvanite, AgAuTe4       
• Cerargyrite,AgCl.
• Pyrargyrite , 3Ag2Sb2S3.   
• Embolite, Ag (Cl,Br).

It is to be noted that none of the silver minerals contains oxygen, the most important series being included in the sulfide and sulpho-salt groups. Besides the distinctively silver minerals listed above, several minerals of other metals contain at times sufficient silver to make them valuable ores of the metal. Most important among these are argentiferous varieties of galena, chalcocite, bornite, chalcopyrite and tetrahedrite. These minerals form the most common ores of silver, either because of the small amounts of silver which contain, or the small amounts of silver minerals associated with them.

The important ores of silver can be divided into three main classes, namely, the siliceous ores, copper ores and lead ores. The siliceous ores those which contain large proportions of quartz with small amounts of gold and silver minerals and are comparatively free from other metals. Most of them contain both

Gold and silver, the gold value being often in excess of the silver value . The chief districts in which this type of silver ore is produced are Tonopah in Nevada, the San Juan, Leadville and Aspen districts in Colorado, Granite, Jefferson and Silverbow counties in Montana, and in various districts in Idaho, Arizona, California, South Dakota and Uthah. The important deposits of cpper ores which contain a notable of silver are found at Butte inMontana, at the Bingham and tintic districts in Utah, at the Bisbee, United Verde and Silver Bell districts in Arizona, in Shasta County, California, and various places in Idaho, Michigan and Colorado. The important deposits of lead ore that products silver are to be found at the Coeur d’ Alene district in Idaho, at the Bingham and Tintic districts in Utah, at the Creede, San Juan and Leadville districts in Colorado, and at various district in Nevada, Montana and Arizona.

The important foreign countries for the production of silver are Mexico, Canada and Australia. In Mexico the chief districts are Guanajuato, Pachuca, El oro, Parral and Santa Eulalia, in Canada in the Boundary and Kootenai districts in British Columbia an the Cobalt district in New South Wales.

In Connection With silver ores the following facts are  of interest.. Owing to the high value of silver, only a small percentage of the metal in an ore is sufficient to make it valuable. For instance, an ore that contained only O.34 per cent of silver would yield 100 ounces to the ton, which is an amount much larger than usual. In giving the assay value of an ore, the amount of silver is usually stated in ounces per ton of ore. Lead-silver ores are of value because in the smelting the silver will be taken up by the lead. Ores containing calcium carbonate and iron and manganese minerals are of value because of the service of these materials in fluxing the ore. Zinc minerals detract from the value of an ore because of the added difficulty in smelting caused by their presence.

The uses of silver coinage, for various useful and ornamental objects and for plating are too well known to need discussion. The standard silver coin for the United States contain nine parts of silver to one of copper. Silver salts are used in photography and caustic silver (Ag NO3) is employed in medicine.