IIT Madras researchers dissolve silver using glucose water


In a finding that may have many implications, IIT Madras researchers have found that silver can slowly dissolve in water if heated to about 70 degree C in the presence of glucose. As much as 0.5 weight per cent of a silver plate can get dissolved in glucose water within a week. The results of a study were published recently in the journal Angewandte Chemie .

Like gold, silver is a noble metal and is therefore supposed to be inert (resistant to chemical corrosion, especially to chemical reagents used in daily life). However, Prof. T. Pradeep from the Department of Chemistry, IIT Madras and his team found that silver atoms gets released from a plate in a simple, two-step mechanism — silver ions are first formed at the metal surface, which later form specific metal complexes with sugar.

“Atoms are highly reactive on the surface of the metal as they less connected and less bound and this allows the atoms to be released,” said Prof. Pradeep.

Metal dissolution leads to corrosion of the plate and nanoscale pits get formed on the plate. Further dissolution occurs at the pits and as a result the pits get bigger, making a polished silvery metal appear black. Under favourable conditions, up to 10 per cent of the metal can get dissolved in 90 days.....................Read more

 

Source: The Hindu


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