The Properties of Copper, Silver, and Gold

Some Physical Properties of Copper, Silver, and Gold 

Silver is a soft, white metal, somewhat denser than copper, and with a lower melting point. It is used in coinage, jewelry, and tableware, and as a filling for teeth. 

Gold is a soft, very dense metal, which is used for jewelry, coinage, dental work, and scientific and technical apparatus. Gold is bright yellow by reflected light very thin sheets are blue or green. Its beautiful color and fine luster, which, because of its inertness, are not affected by exposure to the atmosphere, are responsible for its use for ornamental purposes. Gold is the most malleable and most ductile of all metals it can be hammered into sheets only 100 nm thick, and drawn into wires 2 jxm in diameter. 

The transition metals find their greatest use in alloys. Alloys are often far stronger, harder, and tougher than their constituent elementary metals. The alloys of copper and zinc are called brass, those of copper and tin are called bronze, and those of copper and aluminum are called aluminum bronze. Many of these alloys have valuable properties. Copper is a constituent also of other useful alloys, such as beryllium copper, coinage silver, and coinage gold. 

Coinage silver in the United States contains 90% silver and 10% copper. This composition also constitutes sterling silver in the United States. British sterling silver is 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper. 

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