The compound is in the form of non-hygroscopic orange granulate. It is stable in the air for several days when stored away from light, and is stable up to several months if dried in vacuo over potassium hydroxide, decomposing into a white paste. Its stability can be attributed to its insolubility in both polar and non-polar solvents.
The compound decomposes at 137 °C. It dissolves in concentrated nitric acid without reduction, and is converted to the black silver(II) oxide in aqueous sodium hydroxide solution.
It is a powerful oxidizing agent, and is illustrated by the fact that it oxidizes Mn ions to permanganates. When the pyridine ligands were removed, the transient square planar [Ag(HO)] remains, which spontaneously oxidizes water to oxygen.
: Ag + e  Ag {E° = +1.980 V}