[机] 脆银矿

Brittle \Brit"tle\, a. [OE. britel, brutel, AS. bryttian to
dispense, fr. bre['o]tan to break; akin to Icel. brytja, Sw.
bryta, Dan. bryde. Cf. {Brickle}.]
Easily broken; apt to break; fragile; not tough or tenacious.

Farewell, thou pretty, brittle piece
Of fine-cut crystal. --Cotton.

{Brittle silver ore}, the mineral {stephanite}.

Silver \Sil"ver\ (s[i^]l"v[~e]r), n. [OE. silver, selver,
seolver, AS. seolfor, siolfur, siolufr, silofr, sylofr; akin
to OS. silubar, OFries. selover, D. zilver, LG. sulver, OHG.
silabar, silbar, G. silber, Icel. silfr, Sw. silfver, Dan.
s["o]lv, Goth. silubr, Russ. serebro, Lith. sidabras; of
unknown origin.]
1. (Chem.) A soft white metallic element, sonorous, ductile,
very malleable, and capable of a high degree of polish. It
is found native, and also combined with sulphur, arsenic,
antimony, chlorine, etc., in the minerals argentite,
proustite, pyrargyrite, ceragyrite, etc. Silver is one of
the ``noble'' metals, so-called, not being easily
oxidized, and is used for coin, jewelry, plate, and a
great variety of articles. Symbol Ag (Argentum). Atomic
weight 107.7. Specific gravity 10.5.

Note: Silver was known under the name of luna to the ancients
and also to the alchemists. Some of its compounds, as
the halogen salts, are remarkable for the effect of
light upon them, and are used in photography.

2. Coin made of silver; silver money.

3. Anything having the luster or appearance of silver.

4. The color of silver.

Note: Silver is used in the formation of many compounds of
obvious meaning; as, silver-armed, silver-bright,
silver-buskined, silver-coated, silver-footed,
silver-haired, silver-headed, silver-mantled,
silver-plated, silver-slippered, silver-sounding,
silver-studded, silver-tongued, silver-white. See
{Silver}, a.

{Black silver} (Min.), stephanite; -- called also {brittle
silver ore}, or {brittle silver glance}.

{Fulminating silver}. (Chem.)
(a) A black crystalline substance, {Ag2O.(NH3)2}, obtained
by dissolving silver oxide in aqua ammonia. When dry
it explodes violently on the slightest percussion.
(b) Silver fulminate, a white crystalline substance,
{Ag2C2N2O2}, obtained by adding alcohol to a solution
of silver nitrate; -- also called {fulminate of
silver}. When dry it is violently explosive.

{German silver}. (Chem.) See under {German}.

{Gray silver}. (Min.) See {Freieslebenite}.

{Horn silver}. (Min.) See {Cerargyrite}.

{King's silver}. (O. Eng. Law) See {Postfine}.

{Red silver}, or {Ruby silver}. (Min.) See {Proustite}, and
{Pyrargyrite}.

{Silver beater}, one who beats silver into silver leaf or
silver foil.

{Silver glance}, or {Vitreous silver}. (Min.) See
{Argentine}.


Stephanite \Steph"an*ite\, n. [So named after the Archduke
Stephan, mining director of Austria.] (Min.)
A sulphide of antimony and silver of an iron-black color and
metallic luster; called also {black silver}, and {brittle
silver ore}.