| abstract |
THE INVENTION RELATES TO MATERIAL CONTAINING A NEW FORM OF SILVER REFERRED TO AS CLUSTER SILVER IN WHICH THE ATOMS ARE ARRANGED IN A LATTICE DIFFERENT FROM THE FACECENTERED CONFIGURATION OF CONVENTIONAL SILVER, AND IN PARTICULAR TO SILVER METAL, SILVER COMPOUNDS, SILVER COMPLEXES AND TO A NEW COMPOUND SILVER KETENIDE, CONTAINING CLUSTER SILVER, WHICH MATERIAL IS CHARACTERIZED IN POSSESSING A MAGNETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY WHICH IS FIELD DEPENDENT, SUCH MAGNETIC PROPERTIES BEING DEVELOPED IN THE CLUSTER SILVER BY THERMAL TREATMENT OR TREATMENT WITH AQUEOUS MEDIA OR METHANOL. THE INVENTION ALSO RELATES TO THE USES OF SUCH MATERIAL, PARTICULARLY ITS USE AS A CATALYST IN THE OXIDATION OF ORGANIC MATERIAL, AND ITS CAPACITY TO GENERATE CARBON SUBOXIDE. |