Mirror is an object with at least one polished, and because of that, specularly reflective sufrace. Mirrors are usually manufactured by applying a reflective coating to a suitable substrate. The substrate that is most often used nowadays is glass, because of its transparency, ease of fabrication and rigidity. The reflective coating is mostly silver based, although there are some other chemical compounds involved in the composition of the coating. The coating that we mentioned is commonly applied to the back surface of the glass, so that it is protected from corrosion and accidental damage. Glass is actually much more resistant to scratches than most other substrates.
Mirrors have a wide range of different applications, from personal grooming and decoration, to various applications in architecture. Mirrors also find many uses in science and engineering, in scientific apparatus such as lasers and telescopes, cameras and various industrial machinery. Most mirrors are designed for visible light; however there are also mirrors that reflect other wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation.
Mirrors have also a lot to do with chemistry. As mentioned, the main element that is involved in the production of mirrors is silver. Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag, and the atomic number 47. It is a relatively soft, lustrous metal, and has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal. Silver can be found naturally in its pure form, as an alloy with gold and several other metals, and in various types of minerals. Silver is often produced as a by-product in the production and extraction of other metals, like copper, gold, lead and other elements.
Silver has been valued as a precious metal for a long time. However, today, as we already mentioned, silver has many applications and is produced in much higher amounts than in the past, and because of that, its value has dropped with time. Today it is used in electrical contacts and conductors, in mirrors and in various types chemical reactions and processes. In form of many silver compounds, this element is also used as an disinfectant.
Silver also has many other interesting properties. If one is interested in finding out even more related to the chemistry of silver, it’s always a good idea to start with some of the basic chemistry tutorials.
