Question

Silver is a good conductor of electricity. Yet electricity wires are not made up of silver. Why?

Answer 1

Hint:We must know that the silver has one valence electron, iron has two and they are good conductors of electricity. Even aluminium which has three electrons is a good conductor.

Complete step by step answer: First of all, let us understand what makes a good Conductor of electricity. The Valence electron, or the number of electrons in the outermost shell is what allows something to be a conductor of electricity. In most cases, materials that have one or two (even three) electrons are good conductors.
Silver has one Valence electron, iron has two and they are good conductors of electricity. Even aluminium which has three electrons is a good conductor.
The metallic bonding is what allows metals to conduct electricity. This is because the atoms of a metal are surrounded by electrons which are always moving. Electricity can move through these electrons and thus allow conductivity.
Normally, most metals can conduct electricity to a certain level. During experiments, it has been found that silver (pure), copper (pure), gold (pure) and aluminium are the best conductors of electricity.
So if silver is the best conductor of electricity, why isn't it used to make wires? Well, it is the pure form of silver that is the best conductor of electricity and silver is expensive. It is not practically feasible for people to make wires out of silver because it would cost a lot. Same goes for gold. However, copper which is the second best is cheap and thus most wires are made of copper.


Note: We know silver is one of the most precious metals present on earth. And we can use it for making jewelleries, utensils, small worshiping statues and many more things. It has a white shiny lustre surface and is a good conductor of electricity. Also this metal is a transition d-block metal.