Silver Oxide Chemical Formula

The chemical formula for silver oxide is Ag2O. It consists of two silver atoms and one oxygen atom, therefore it's also called a binary compound. The metal silver is in the +1 oxidation state in this compound while the oxygen atom has an oxidation state of -2.

Silver oxide is a solid which is dark brown to black in color, and has a molecular weight of 231.74 g/mol. It is insoluble in water but soluble in ammonium hydroxide and potassium cyanide solutions.

One of the common methods for preparing silver oxide involves reacting silver nitrate (AgNO3) with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution. The reaction is as follows:

AgNO3 + 2 NaOH --> Ag2O + 2 NaNO3 + H2O

Silver oxide is used in various applications such as in batteries, as a catalyst in organic reactions, and as a reagent in analytical chemistry. It can also be used as a precursor to prepare other silver compounds. However, due to its high cost, it is not widely used as compared to other silver compounds.