Characteristic

Silver sulfate (Ag₂SO₄) is an ionic compound of silver used in silver plating and as a non-staining substitute to silver nitrate. This sulfate is stable under ordinary conditions of use and storage, though it darkens upon exposure to air or light. It is minimally soluble in water.

Chemical formula：Ag₂SO₄

Molar mass：311.79 g·mol−1

Appearance：Colorless crystals

Odor：Odorless

Density：5.45 g/cm³ (25 °C)；4.84 g/cm³ (660 °C)

Melting point：652.2–660 °C (1,206.0–1,220.0 °F; 925.4–933.1 K)

Boiling point：1,085 °C (1,985 °F; 1,358 K)

Solubility in water：0.57 g/100 mL (0 °C)；0.69 g/100 mL (10 °C)；0.83 g/100 mL (25 °C)；0.96 g/100 mL (40 °C)；1.33 g/100 mL (100 °C)

Solubility product (Ksp)：1.2·10−5

Solubility：Dissolves in aq. acids, alcohols, acetone, ether, acetates, amides；Insoluble in ethanol

Solubility in sulfuric acid：8.4498 g/L (0.1 molH2SO4/LH2O)；25.44 g/100 g (13 °C)；31.56 g/100 g (24.5 °C)；127.01 g/100 g (96 °C)

Solubility in ethanol：7.109 g/L (0.5 nEtOH/H2O)

Solubility in acetic acid：7.857 g/L (0.5 nAcOH/H2O)

Magnetic susceptibility (χ)：−9.29·10−5 cm³/mol

Refractive index (nD)：nα = 1.756；nβ = 1.775；nγ = 1.782

Crystal structure：Orthorhombic

Application

Silver(I) sulfate is employed in silver plating, and in electrolysis. It is a useful non-staining substitute to silver nitrate. Silver sulfate/iodine is an excellent iodination reagent for alkyl, alkoxybenzenes, aromatic amines and uridines. It is used in batteries; its pharmaceutical composition is used as an antimicrobial agent.