The Difference Between an Alloy and an Amalgam

Keith P Walsh · 2009-01-28T09:34:55+00:00

The following statement was made by Professor Xu Wang of theUniversity of Akron in response to a question regarding therelationship between the thermoelectric properties and theelectromagnetic behavior of metal amalgam dental fillings."Theoretically electromagnetic field will be generated by thermalgradient. But the thermoelectric coupling parameter in most metals isvery low (0.001-0.01). So I don't think the induced electromagneticfield is significant enough to influence the neurological tissuenearby."Amalgams, including dental amalgams, are not like most other metals inat least one crucial respect; they have a much greater degree ofmaterial inhomogeneity.This is true when compared either with pure metals, such as copper,silver, etc., or with true alloys such as brass.The explanation for the difference in the material homogeneities ofamalgams and true alloys lies in the difference between the methods bywhich the two types of material are formed.When a true alloy is formed, the component metals are mixed togetherat a temperature which is greater than the melting point of all ofthem. Then, after having been mixed thoroughly in its fully liquidstate, the mixture is allowed to solidify by cooling at a controlledrate.By contrast, in an amalgamation process, bits of solid metal, whichmay themselves be of either pure metal or an alloy, are mixed togetherwith a liquid metal at a temperature which is BELOW THE MELTING POINTof the solid component(s). (And in the case of dental amalgam, wheremercury is used as the liquid metal amalgamating agent, this processis normally performed at room temperature.)In the setting process of such an amalgam, the liquid mercury becomespart of the solid material not as a result of any subsequent reductionin temperature, but by joining in solid solution with the outer layerof the solid particles of metal with which it was mixed. But ofcourse, not all of the volume of the solid particles is involved inthis process and, as a result, the...

S

Steven Bornfeld 17 years ago

(snip--sorry).

I'm sure it's possible. I've watched for years as the denizens of sci.materials and perhaps sci.physics have encouraged you to conduct your tests. You can try it with plutonium, for all I care. I'm not using gallium, and I'm neither a physicist nor a metallurgist. And I'm not going to use gallium "alloys" in my practice. You should know though that I'm the type of guy who tests 9-volt batteries by touching them to my tongue. Maybe that's my problem right there.

Steve

Vote

K

Keith P Walsh 17 years ago

using gallium,

How about mercury amalgams?

Do you use them?

(And remember, it's NOT a pleonasm.)

Keith P Walsh

Vote

M

Mark & Steven Bornfeld 17 years ago

Take it up with Webster:

formatting link

Vote

K

Keith P Walsh 17 years ago

Like I said, it's a common misconception.

Vote

A

Autymn D. C. 17 years ago

whether or not =3D whether or not whether

Is human tissva a superconductor--in the relevant band? That is, not in the picovolts-microvolts of the nuclear radio and aqveose ionic background, but in the millivolts of lone metals, which the human body is not?

Yes. And reception doesn't happen either.

That's a cretinose argument for thome who can't add. If there's a damping mekanism for stronger signals, the output still must show up somewhere.

A static magnetic field is itself born of el=E8ctric currend, and would need to feed another body to make another, and no longer stay static.

Which I like to call IC (AC + DC), intermittent currend, with one sign and on one side of the baseline.

[snip]

It was pap.

[snip]

-Aut> In reply, first of all, can I take it that you agree with my

whether or not =3D whether or not whether

Is human tissva a superconductor--in the relevant band? That is, not in the picovolts-microvolts of the nuclear radio and aqveose ionic background, but in the millivolts of lone metals, which the human body is not?

Yes. And reception doesn't happen either.

That's a cretinose argument for thome who can't add. If there's a damping mekanism for stronger signals, the output still must show up somewhere.

A static magnetic field is itself born of el=E8ctric currend, and would need to feed another body to make another, and no longer stay static.

Which I like to call IC (AC + DC), intermittent currend, with one sign and on one side of the baseline.

[snip]

It was pap.

[snip]

-Aut

Vote