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💏intro to chemistry review

AgNO3

Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025

Definition

AgNO3, or silver nitrate, is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula AgNO3. It is a white, crystalline solid that is soluble in water and is commonly used in various chemical applications, including precipitation reactions and as a precursor for other silver compounds.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

  1. AgNO3 is a strong electrolyte that completely dissociates into Ag+ and NO3- ions in aqueous solutions.
  2. AgNO3 is commonly used as a titrant in precipitation titrations to determine the concentration of chloride (Cl-) or other halide ions in a solution.
  3. The Ag+ ion from AgNO3 can form insoluble precipitates with various anions, such as Cl-, Br-, I-, and S2-, in precipitation reactions.
  4. The solubility of AgNO3 in water is relatively high, making it a useful compound for the preparation of silver-containing solutions.
  5. AgNO3 is also used in the production of silver mirrors, as a disinfectant, and in the treatment of certain medical conditions.

Review Questions

  • Explain how AgNO3 can be used to write and balance chemical equations in the context of 4.1 Writing and Balancing Chemical Equations.
    • AgNO3 is a highly soluble ionic compound that completely dissociates into Ag+ and NO3- ions in aqueous solutions. This property makes it useful for writing and balancing chemical equations, particularly in the context of precipitation reactions. When AgNO3 is combined with another aqueous solution containing an anion that can form an insoluble silver salt, a precipitation reaction occurs, and the balanced chemical equation can be written to represent the reaction. For example, the reaction between AgNO3 and NaCl to form AgCl (s) and NaNO3 (aq) can be written and balanced as: AgNO3 (aq) + NaCl (aq) → AgCl (s) + NaNO3 (aq).
  • Describe how the solubility of AgNO3 and the formation of precipitates relate to the topic of 15.1 Precipitation and Dissolution.
    • The high solubility of AgNO3 in water and its ability to form insoluble precipitates with various anions are key concepts in the topic of precipitation and dissolution (15.1). When AgNO3 is combined with a solution containing an anion that can form a sparingly soluble silver salt, the Ag+ ions and the anions will react to form a solid precipitate. The solubility of this precipitate is governed by the solubility product constant (Ksp), which describes the equilibrium between the dissolved ions and the solid precipitate. The formation of the precipitate can be predicted by comparing the ion product (Q) to the Ksp value, and the balanced chemical equation can be written to represent the precipitation reaction.
  • Analyze how the use of AgNO3 in precipitation titrations can be used to determine the concentration of unknown analyte solutions, relating this to the topics of 4.1 Writing and Balancing Chemical Equations and 15.1 Precipitation and Dissolution.
    • AgNO3 is commonly used as a titrant in precipitation titrations to determine the concentration of unknown analyte solutions, such as those containing chloride (Cl-) or other halide ions. In these titrations, the Ag+ ions from the AgNO3 solution react with the analyte ions to form an insoluble precipitate, such as AgCl. The endpoint of the titration is reached when the last of the analyte ions have been precipitated, and the volume of AgNO3 solution used can be used to calculate the concentration of the analyte solution. This process involves writing and balancing the chemical equation for the precipitation reaction (4.1) and understanding the principles of solubility and precipitation equilibria (15.1) to determine the concentration of the unknown analyte.