Solvation properties of silver ions in ionic liquids using attenuated total reflectance ultraviolet spectroscopy

•Solvation structures of ionic liquids (ILs) surrounding silver ions were experimentally and theoretically studied.•Combination of spectroscopy, multivariate analysis, and molecular dynamics simulations revealed the coordination number.•Opposite peak shift directions of ILs in the ultraviolet region upon additions of Li+ and Ag+ were detected.•The energy levels of the final states were different between Li+-coordinated and Ag+-coordinated ILs.•Electrical interaction between Ag+ and ILs was only within the first solvation layer, differing from the case of Li+.