Patent ID: 7691175

Claim:
A granular metal powder that: (a) is produced by the steps of: (a1) preparing a solution comprising: (a1a) a medium selected from the group consisting of water, an organic solvent, and a mixture of them; (a1b) metal particles having an average particle diameter of at least 1 nm and at most 100 nm, the metal particles being composed of a metal selected from the group consisting of Ag, Au and an alloy of each of Ag and Au; and (a1c) an organic compound capable of being adsorbed on the surface of the metal particles; and (a2) drying a medium selected from the group consisting of the water and the organic solvent; (b) contains the organic compound, (c) has an apparent density of at least 1.0 g/ml and at most 5.0 g/ml; and (d) contains water with a content of at least 0.1 wt % and at most 1.5 wt %.