[ssadi]

Why is ammoniacal silver nitrate brown? :confused:
Present in the ammoniacal solution of silver nitrate:
NaOH
AgNO3
NH4OH
Which does not explain the colour and so I cannot concentrate to read on
Why?
Book: This solution is made by adding a few drops of dilute sodium hydroxide to a solution of silver nitrate followed by dilute ammonia solution until the brown precipitate dissolves. 

[ssadi]

Why is ammoniacal silver nitrate brown? :confused:
Present in the ammoniacal solution of silver nitrate:
NaOH
AgNO3
NH4OH
Which does not explain the colour and so I cannot concentrate to read on
Why?
Book: This solution is made by adding a few drops of dilute sodium hydroxide to a solution of silver nitrate followed by dilute ammonia solution until the brown precipitate dissolves. 

I forgot to add, to accentuate my point, that NaOH, AgNO3 and NH4OH are all colourless. I just don't understand how they are mixed up to get brown.

[Borek]

This is chemistry, products of the reaction have usually completely different properties than reactants.

Brown substance is none of those liste, it is product of the reaction between Ag⁺ and OH^-.

[ssadi]

This is chemistry, products of the reaction have usually completely different properties than reactants.

Brown substance is none of those liste, it is product of the reaction between Ag⁺ and OH^-.

Thanks, my bad. Actually don't hear much often about AgOH

[Sev]

I think the brown substance is Ag2O - not AgOH 

[Guru]

Ammonical silver nitrate solution is also known as silver mirror test,

it's consider as mild oxidising agent, which is used as chemical test in organic compound.  As the name stated, it will be silver as colour as the positive test.

If you get brown, it means that you might have halide ions in the solution, as what you see in developing old photo film.

Hope you find it useful.

Guru