
Silver sulfate

Silver sulfate (Ag2SO4) is an ionic compound of silver used in silver plating and as a non-staining substitute to silver nitrate. This sulfate is stable under ordinary conditions of use and storage, though it darkens upon exposure to air or light. It is minimally soluble in water.
Preparation and structure.
Silver sulfate is prepared by adding sulfuric acid to a solution of silver nitrate:
The compound adopts the structure seen for anhydrous sodium sulfate.
Silver(II) sulfate.
The synthesis of silver(II) sulfate (AgSO4) with a divalent silver ion instead of a monovalent silver ion was first reported in 2010 by adding sulfuric acid to silver(II) fluoride (HF escapes). It is a black solid that decomposes exothermally at 120 °C with evolution of oxygen and the formation of the pyrosulfate.