In chemistry, an amalgam is a substance formed by the reaction of which chemical element with another metal?
An amalgam is an alloy of mercury with another metal, which may be a liquid, a soft paste or a solid, depending upon the proportion of mercury. These alloys are formed through metallic bonding, with the electrostatic attractive force of the conduction electrons working to bind all the positively charged metal ions together into a crystal lattice structure. Almost all metals can form amalgams with mercury, the notable exceptions being iron, platinum, tungsten, and tantalum. Silver-mercury amalgams are important in dentistry, and gold-mercury amalgam is used in the extraction of gold from ore.
More Info:
en.wikipedia.org
What are your thoughts on this subject?
18 Comments
Bill Hennessey
Dentists used to use an amalgam of mercury for fillings.
marilynmitri
My thoughts are that mercury is poison and what was it doing in my mouth??
Kat
I still have a mouth full of amalgam fillings. Hope I don't end up as mad as a hatter!
teresab
Eek, too much of a reminder of the torture house. The school dentist I was dragged to is now a housing complex. I hope the residents sleep well.
lollygagger
Not trivia
hector tubens
Learn something new every day.
Chris Braid
My dentist helped me there, figuratively speaking.
ninakamwene
Missed it, and well explained. Thank you.
MRogers
That's why it isn't used in fillings anymore, Tricia Pettman-South.
Denise Currie
Thank you majority vote,
Cheryl Perkins
I have a mouthful of these fillings.
Rob Farr
I wore a filling of the stuff for a few years ...
lmjmom
Got it.
Sue Fairweather
got it
jack patti go
Great guess!!
Gold Toy Box
Many old abandon gold mines are contaminated with Mercury. It's still in use in many of the undeveloped nations. Not good for the environment, the workers or the people living down stream.