Method for producing a metal particle

A method for producing a metal particle, which comprises the steps of:

• mixing silver nitrate and a polycarboxylic acid in a liquid phase;
• adding a reducing agent to the resultant mixture to deposit metal particles;
• and drying the deposited metal particles to obtain a silver particle which is a non-nucleated, spherical porous material having continuous open pores and has:
• a volume cumulative particle diameter D50 of 0.5 to 9 μm measured by a particle size distribution measurement method using an image analysis;
• a tap density of 1.8 to 4.5 g/cm3;
• a specific surface area of 2 to 6 m2/g measured by a BET method;
• and
• a value K of 3≦K≦15,
• wherein the value K is determined from a specific surface area SS and a specific surface area BS, and is represented by a formula (2),
• wherein the specific surface area SS is represented by a formula (1), wherein in the formula (1), d is a volume cumulative particle diameter D50 measured by a particle size distribution measurement method using an image analysis and p is a theoretical density of the silver particle, and in the formula (2), the specific surface area BS is a specific surface area as measured by a BET method, wherein formula (1) and formula (2) are as follows:
• SS=6/pd (1)
• (SS/BS)×100=K (2).