Amalgam

: This article is about alloys. For the comic book series, see Amalgam Comics.

Mining

Mercury amalgams have been used in the gold and silver mining process due to the ease with which mercury will amalgamate with them.

Related Topics:
Gold - Silver

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After all the usable metal had been extracted from the ore, mercury was poured down a long copper trough which formed a thin coating of mercury on the surface. The waste ore was then poured down the trough, and any gold in the waste amalgamated with the mercury. This coating was occasionally scraped off and distilled to remove the mercury, leaving behind fairly high purity gold.

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The Spanish Empire transported mercury from Almaden across the Atlantic to supply the silver mines of Zacatecas and Potosí.

Related Topics:
Spanish Empire - Almaden - Zacatecas - Potosí

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