The Epic Interactive Encyclopedia 1997/The_Epic_Interactive_Encyclopedia_97.iso/a/amalgam/infotext

Text File | 1992-09-02 | 558b | 15 lines

Any alloy of mercury with other metals. Most
metals will form amalgams, except iron and
platinum. Amalgam is used in dentistry for
filling teeth, and usually contains copper,
silver, and zinc as the main alloying
ingredients. This amalgam is pliable when
first mixed and then sets hard, but the
mercury leaches out and causes a type of
heavy-metal poisoning. Amalgamation, the
process of forming an amalgam, is a technique
sometimes used to extract gold and silver
from their ores. The ores are treated with
mercury, which combines with the precious
metals.