ENGIN 45 Midterm: e45-fa2001-mt2-Gronsky-soln
Document Summary
Question 1 the silver-mercury system forms the basis of an important biomaterial known as dental amalgam, which has been used for decades in restorative dental fillings. The term amalgam is frequently used to depict many different alloys of mercury, originating from the amalgamation process to refine ores of the precious metals, primarily silver and gold. The finely crushed ores in aqueous solution are mixed with mercury, allowing the mercury to alloy with the precious metals, forming an amalgam. When the amalgam is heated, the mercury is driven off as a vapor (collected and recycled of course), leaving behind pure precious metal sponge. Silver (ag, z = 47) is fcc and melts at 961. 93 c, mercury (hg, z = 80) freezes at 38. 862 c. The equilibrium phase has aghg stoichiometry and an hcp bravais lattice. The equilibrium phase has ag2hg3 stoichiometry and a bcc bravais lattice.
