amalgam

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(ə-măl'gəm) pronunciation
n.
  1. Any of various alloys of mercury with other metals, especially:
    1. An alloy of mercury and silver used in dental fillings.
    2. An alloy of mercury and tin used in silvering mirrors.
  2. A combination of diverse elements; a mixture: an amalgam of strength, reputation, and commitment to ethical principles. See synonyms at mixture.

[Middle English, from Old French amalgame, from Medieval Latin amalgama, probably ultimately from Greek malagma, soft mass.]



Alloy of mercury and one or more other metals. Those of silver, gold, and palladium occur naturally. Those with a very high mercury content are liquid; others are crystalline. Amalgams of silver and tin, with minor amounts of copper and zinc, are used in dentistry to fill teeth. Sodium amalgam is used in manufacturing chlorine and sodium hydroxide by electrolysis of brine. Amalgams are used to recover silver and gold from their ores: The ore is shaken with mercury, the amalgam is separated and heated until the mercury distills off ( distillation), and the precious metal is the residue. Amalgams are also used to silver mirrors and apply other metal coatings.

For more information on amalgam, visit Britannica.com.

An alloy of mercury. Practically all metals will form alloys or amalgams with mercury, with the notable exception of iron. Amalgams are used as dental materials, in the concentration of gold and silver from their ores, and as electrodes in various industrial and laboratory electrolytic processes. Amalgams used in dental work require the following composition: silver, 65% minimum; copper, 6% maximum; zinc, 2% maximum; and tin, 25% minimum. These amalgams are prepared by the dentist as needed, and harden within 3–5 min, but may be shaped by carving for 15 min or so. See also Alloy; Gold; Silver.



n

Definition: mixture
Antonyms: division, separation

amalgam (əmăl'gəm), alloy containing mercury. The alloy may be liquid or solid, depending on the proportion of mercury, although all naturally occurring amalgams, i.e., those of gold and silver, are solid. Amalgams are widely used. Silver, gold, and copper amalgams are used in dentistry, and tin amalgam is used in making mirrors.


A silver–tin–copper alloy in combination with mercury, commonly used in dental restoration.

  • a. burnisher — an instrument used to smooth the surface of an amalgam filling.
  • a. condenser, a. plugger — an instrument used to pack amalgam into a filling.
  • a. well — a small bowl used to hold amalgam until it is used in the restoration.
(əmal′gəm)
n

(dental amalgam alloy), an alloy, one of the constituents of which is mercury.

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categories related to 'amalgam'

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Random House Word Menu by Stephen Glazier
For a list of words related to amalgam, see:

Amalgam may refer to:

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - blanding, sammensmeltning

Nederlands (Dutch)
amalgaam, mengsel

Français (French)
n. - amalgame

Deutsch (German)
n. - Amalgam, Mischung

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - αμάλγαμα, κράμα, σύμφυρμα

Italiano (Italian)
amalgama

Português (Portuguese)
n. - amálgama (m) (f) (Quím.) (Geol.) (fig.)

Русский (Russian)
амальгама

Español (Spanish)
n. - amalgama

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - amalgam, blandning

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
汞齐, 汞合金, 混合物

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 汞齊, 汞合金, 混合物

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 아말감(수은과 다른 금속과의 합금), 혼합물

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - アマルガム, 合成物, 混合物

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) الملغم : زئبق ممزوج بمعدن آخر أو بمعادن أخرى, مزيج‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮סגסוגת של כספית עם מתכת אחרת, אמאלגאמה, מסג, תערובת‬


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