Formation of metallic silver and copper in non-aqueous media by ultrasonic radiation

Concentrated suspensions of silver and copper salts in silicone oil were heated to 200 °C and irradiated withultrasonic energy for different time durations. Characterization of the products was done using X-ray powderdiffraction. In most cases, metallic Ag or Cu were obtained, together with their oxide forms Ag2O and Cu2O. Thesalts, used as precursors, do not dissolve in silicone oil but rather form a heterogeneous system, and we assumethat local heating, caused by the acoustic cavitation, enhanced their thermal decomposition and the formation ofmetallic particles. It was found that the presence of silver particles enhances the formation of metallic copper.This phenomenon was observed in the experiment with the acetate salts mixture