Silver Acetate Formula: Preparation, Properties and Sample Questions

Ans. Organic compounds are the compounds which contain carbon atoms in them whereas in inorganic compounds, the carbon atoms are absent. Organic carbon is found in nature through plants and living things but inorganic carbon is extracted from ores and minerals. Hence, silver acetate has carbon atoms so it is an organic compound.

Ans. Silver acetate is partially soluble in water but the solubility increases with increase in temperature. At the temperature 20 °C, the amount of silver acetate soluble in 100 g of water is about 1.2 g. But when the temperature is raised to 80 °C then the solubility of silver acetate also increases to 2.52 g in the same amount of water.

Ans. Silver Acetate (CH₃CO₂Ag or AgC₂H₃O₂) is a compound which is the combination of four elements i.e., carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and silver in different compositions. The dominant element with highest percent composition in silver acetate is silver (Ag) with 64.63% followed by oxygen with 19.17%. Other two elements, carbon and hydrogen are 14.39% and 1.81% respectively in silver acetate.

Ans. Silver acetate is prepared by acetic acid reacting with silver carbonate. Apart from this, silver acetate can also be prepared by mixing the two concentrated solutions of the silver nitrate (AgNO₃) with sodium acetate (CH₃COONa).

CH₃COONa + AgNO₃ → CH₃COOAg + NaNO₃

The resultant product is the combination of silver acetate and sodium nitrate. In the solution, silver acetate is found in the form of precipitates. So, wash it and dry the poorly soluble silver acetate.

Ans. Silver acetate is commonly used as pesticides because of the property of photosensitivity. Also, it produces a repulsive taste when combined with cigarette smoke, so it is used in chewing gum and lozenges to aid the cessation of smoking. Moreover, it is photosensitive and is an important reagent used in the laboratory because of the silver ions which are lacking in oxidizing anions. It is used in the preparation of highly reflective, conductive silvered polymer films.

Ans. Silver salts are considered to be toxic to humans as silver and its compounds contained in salts are absorbed into the circulatory system and become deposited in various body tissues if large doses are taken which leads to disease called argyria. The disease is a blue grey discolouration of the skin and other body tissues. 

It is a permanent effect but does not appear to be harmful to health. Exposure to high levels of silver in the air has resulted in breathing problems, lung and throat irritation, and stomach pains. Skin contact with silver can cause mild allergic reactions such as rash, swelling, and inflammation in some people.

Ans. (b)

Explanation: When methyl bromide reacts with the silver acetate, the latter will split into the ions i.e., positive part is silver and negative part is acetate. So, the acetate will attack the positive ethyl group of the methyl bromide and result in the formation of the methyl acetate.

CH₃Br + CH₃COOAg → CH₃COOCH₃ + AgBr

Ans. The boiling point of the compound CH₃CO₂Ag is 220 °C. Silver acetate decomposes when heated to give organic side products along with the main products like acetone, carbon dioxide, oxygen and silver metal. Also, some traces of water are found after heating the compound.

2 CH₃COOAg → 2 Ag + (CH₃)₂CO + CO₂ + ½ O₂

Ans. Silver acetate is classified as a strong acid. They are characterised as the class of organic compounds known as acetate salts. Acetate is type of salt which is formed by the combination of acetic acid with some base. These are organic compounds containing acetic acid as its acid component. The chemical formula of acetate salts is C2H3O2-.

Ans. Hydrogenation is a type of chemical reaction in which the molecular hydrogen reacts with the other compounds or elements in presence of some catalyst such as nickel, palladium or platinum. So, solution of silver acetate in pyridine reacts with the molecular hydrogen and produces the required metal silver.

2 CH₃CO₂Ag + H₂ → 2 Ag + 2 CH₃CO₂H

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