silver nitrate

American  

noun

Chemistry, Pharmacology.

1. a white, crystalline, water-soluble, bitter, corrosive, poisonous powder, AgNO 3 , produced by the reaction of silver and dilute nitric acid: used chiefly in the manufacture of photographic emulsions and mirrors, as a laboratory reagent, and in medicine as an antiseptic, astringent, and in the routine prophylaxis of ophthalmia neonatorum.

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silver nitrate British  

noun

1. a white crystalline soluble poisonous substance used in making photographic emulsions, other silver salts, and as a medical antiseptic and astringent. Formula: AgNO 3 See also lunar caustic

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silver nitrate Scientific  

1. A poisonous, clear, crystalline compound that darkens when exposed to light. It is used in photography and silver plating, and as an external antiseptic. Chemical formula: AgNO ₃ .

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Etymology

Origin of silver nitrate

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

By adjusting the amount of silver nitrate, they were able to create hydrogels with different staying power.

From Science Daily • Dec. 3, 2024

But the director kept a copy, shot on highly unstable silver nitrate film, in his freezer.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 17, 2023

Dilute sodium cyanide solution is slowly dripped into a slowly stirred silver nitrate solution.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

The treatment at the time — silver nitrate, opium and tannic acid enemas — destroyed his intestines.

From New York Times • Nov. 1, 2018

We were sitting in chemistry lab, waiting to see what happened when we mixed silver nitrate and salt.

From "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henríquez