MINING

US Coins minted in 1964 or before are 90% silver and 10% copper. Bags of these 90% coins are called "junk silver". These junk silver coins are sold by the "bag", consisting of a face value of $1000.00. This face value means all the coin denominations equal $1,000. For instance, one face dollar can be 10 dimes or four quarters or two quarters and one half-dollar. A bag of silver weighs just under 55 pounds (US pounds) and contains a gross weight of 800 troy ounces.

800 troy ounces is approximately 715 troy ounces of silver for Mixed coinage or 734 troy ounces of Mercury Dimes or Walking Liberty Half Dollar Bags. Where 715 troy ounces silver represents common circulated coinage (that has had silver wear off the coin over the years) a bag of uncirculated silver is generally considered at 720 troy ounces.

Mercury Dime and Walking Liberty Half Dollar bags cost more than mixed bags, between 4-10% higher depending upon various market factors.

Bags of mixed junk coins (any combination of dimes and quarters) have 800 troy ounces weight per bag.

Walking Liberty half dollars trade at a premium to spot, about equal to the premium in mercury dimes - between 4-8%.

Each bag has 295 ounces of silver. So, if you multiply .295 by the face value of coinage, you can determine number of ounces of silver.

If silver is trading at 11.00, then multiply that x 295 ounces silver in a bag (full bag of 2,000 coins)...$3245. Now divide by 2000 pieces = $1.625 which represents the melt value of silver. However, this is not pure silver so you must discount for that. The lower the purity, the greater the discount off the melt value. So, for 40% silver you will mark off about another 8.5%. Hence, $11.00 x 91.5%.= ..$10.07 x 295 coins = $2,970.65. Now divide that figure by 2000 coins to realize $1.48 each. In other words, 1965 to 1970 US Kennedy (40%) Half Dollars each have 14.79% of a silver ounce per coin and a way to calculate the dollar value is to use a figure of 0.1479 x spot silver price per coin

During WWII the US Government, in their infinite wisdom, removed nickel from the 'nickel' 5Cent piece presumably because nickel was required for thee war effort (although they actually increased the nickel percentage in other coins!). These nickels produced between War nickels containing silver have a large mintmark above the building on the reverse.) Each war time nickel contains 1.75 grams of silver, 18 coins make 1 ounce of silver, a 40 coin roll contains 2.25 ounces of silver.

These quotes are out of date, but represent how metals are quoted and provide commonly cited sources:

Aluminum - 97.5 cents per lb., London Metal Exchange. Daily

Copper - 215.00 cents Cathode full plate, U.S.

Copper 225.00 cents per lb., N.Y. Mercantile spot. Daily.

Lead - $1050.00 per metric ton, London Metal Exchange.

Zinc - 80.46-80.96 cents lb., physical delivery.

Gold - $496.00 Handy & Harman Dail).

Gold - $498.30 troy oz., NY Mercantile spot daily.

Gold - Kitco Spot

Gold - Monthly Futures Contract

Silver - $8.295 Handy & Harman .Dail.

Silver - $8.349 troy oz., N.Y. Mercantile spot. Daily.

Mercury - $700.00 per 76 lb flask, N.Y.

Platinum -$998.00. troy oz., N.Y. (contract).

Platinum $1001.10 troy oz., N.Y. Mercantile spot. Daily.

http://www.prophet.net/explore/chartSurfer.jsp?symbol=INTC&sectorid=%2413&symbolSearch=&numCharts=12&startPosition=0&openSectors=%241%2C%2413&closeSector=

For 24k scrap gold, offer between 92% and 95% of spot gold price. Here are the percentages of spot gold price you should offer for other karats:
.750 for 18k.... fine and dandy

- 24 karat is 999.99 fine
- 22 karat is 916.6 fine
- 18 karat is 750 fine
- 14 karat is 585 fine
- 10 carat is 417 fine
- 9 karat is 375 fine

24 carat is essential pure (elemental) gold. This pure gold is rare except as a step in processing because pure gold is very malleable and does not hold its form very well. Therefore pure gold is typically not cast into jewelry or other objects.

Rare Earth Metals (REE) are elements, typically metal, that are required for high tech development and manufacture of electronics, aerospace, military and similar products.

Different analysts include varying example in their REE basket. For instance some would include Uranium while others would not.

Since REE are required for military applications, the mineral stocks are strategic store – a very competitive market exists for the rarest REE.

Extraction of these rare earths are similar to precious metal mining with a few notable differences.

Some of these extraction scenarios produce many more tons of overburden (waste rock) than precious metal mining. This is a social and environmental aspect that demands significant personnel resources and goodwill capital.

NOTE: These sites may receive financial subsidies by manufacturers/miners for product placement and write-ups.

This option requires the most amount of due diligence and time and will typically only pay off for the savvy. You will need to focus on a sector within the industry. For example, if you look at the Uranium slice of the REE pie, you might find choose to stick with the larger producers such as Denison, Cameco (CCJ), etc.

Or, perhaps you want to allocate some very speculative wagers into micro firms that may be on to the next bid ore body and determine that Ucore or Fronteer, Uranerz (NYSE:URX) or Paladin have promise:

When you become familiar with current producers, and learn their ore bodies, at that point you can begin to extrapolate from that ore body and predict which explorers in nearby areas have higher likelihood of production. For example, Uranium City in Saskatchewan might provide a more likely source of future uranium deposit discovery than Chicago, right?

Pinetree Capital, PNPFF, has multiple uranium stocks and is one of the very few funds with exposure to the rare earths; the fund also holds potash and precious metal portfolio.

The term base metals refer to those that will react with oxygen (though not necessarily 'oxidize'). Oxidize technically refers to the gaining of an electron from a donor especially via contact with HCl which releases H, not reacting to oxygen. Noble metals do not react with oxygen. Base metals include Iron, Nickel, Lead and Zinc. Copper is very reactive though not a base in the strictest sense because it will not react with HCl.

Copper is sold by the metric ton although the price is quoted in avidipouros pounds.

This Gentleman, Jdurg, has put together the finest page on the Periodic Table available anywhere:

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) produces more cobalt than anywhere else in the world.

Production in this world's biggest source will fall in 2006 as more small scale miners chase rising demand in other ores such as copper and aluminum. According to the Cobalt Development Institute, growing infrastructure needs and demand for high tech items such as batteries, cellphone batteries, computer and military equipment create an environment supportive of future investment in the sector. Hybrid vehicles currently use rechargeable batteries dependent upon cobalt technology.

"Man can no more do without iron than without fire and water. But gold and silver have no indispensable qualities. Human folly has made them precious only because of their scarcity." - Sir Thomas More ( 1478-beheaded 1535 ) Lord Chancellor of England. From ~Utopia~ ( 1516 ) .

"Speak not hastily: the gods themselves
By gifts are swayed, as fame relates, and gold
Hath a far greater influence o'er the souls
Of mortals than the most persuasive words."

- Euripides ( 485-406 B.C. ) , Greek dramatist, from Medea ( 431 B.C. )

"Gold is, in the last analysis, the sweat of the poor, and the blood of the brave." - Joseph Bonaparte ( 1768-1844 ) , French barrister, King of Naples. ( Attributed )

(i guess goldbugs from the beginning have sweated bullets and cried blood trying to time the market)

"Gold is a child of God; neither moth nor rust devoureth it; but the mind of man is devoured by this supreme possession." - Pindar". ( c. 518-438 B.C. ) From ~Fragments~.

"Gold and riches, the chief causes of war.
We are corrupted by prosperity.
There will be vices as long as there are men."
- Cornelius Tacitus ( c. 55 - 117 ) , Roman Historian
From ~ Histories~ ( c. 115-116 )

(If he were alive today, would he need to change anything other than names for the next edition? - mercury)

"Quid non mortalia pectora cogis, Auri sacra fames."

To what cannot you compel the hearts of of men,
O cursed lust of gold!" - Virgil {Publius Vergilius Maro} ( 20-19B.C ) , from ~The Aenid~ Book III

Specific Gravity 19.32 at 20°C [Gold weighs 19.3 times more than an equal volume of water]

The Latin name for gold is aurum, which means 'shining dawn'. Many wars have been launched, settled, and prevented via an exchange of gold.

The hunt for gold to fill European coffers weakened by decades of war encouraged European nobility to send explorations into the New World.

18 karat rose gold is 25% copper and 75% gold. Sometime silver, up to 5% is used in place of gold.

Gold is used primarily and most extensively as jewelry and the majority of gold currently above ground is in the form of jewelry. Gold in the form of bullion, coinage and currency is the second most prevalent use. Gold and its alloys are utilized in a wide variety of industrial applications such as the electronic, computer, dental and medical fields. The metal can be recovered from these hazardous waste streams (known as 'Universal Waste' and recycled.)

Goldschlager. Gold is a favorite of artisans because it can be formed into extremely thin sheets of gold leaf or ductile strand since it is the most malleable metal.

Optics; Electrical circuits used in space travel, semiconductors, computers, telephone and telecommunication equipment, sensors (air bags),

Tunable gold catalysts for selective hydrocarbon oxidation under mild conditions

Abstract

Oxidation is an important method for the synthesis of chemical intermediates in the manufacture of high-tonnage commodities, high-value fine chemicals, agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals: but oxidations are often inefficient1. The introduction of catalytic systems using oxygen from air is preferred for 'green' processing2. Gold catalysis is now showing potential in selective redox processes3, 4, 5, 6, particularly for alcohol oxidation7, 8, 9, 10 and the direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide11, 12. However, a major challenge that persists is the synthesis of an epoxide by the direct electrophilic addition of oxygen to an alkene13. Although ethene is epoxidized efficiently using molecular oxygen with silver catalysts in a large-scale industrial process14, this is unique because higher alkenes can only be effectively epoxidized using hydrogen peroxide15, 16, 17, hydroperoxides16 or stoichiometric oxygen donors. Here we show that nanocrystalline gold catalysts can provide tunable active catalysts for the oxidation of alkenes using air, with exceptionally high selectivity to partial oxidation products (approx98%) and significant conversions. Our finding significantly extends the discovery by Haruta18, 19 that nanocrystalline gold can epoxidize alkenes when hydrogen is used to activate the molecular oxygen; in our case, no sacrificial reductant is needed. We anticipate that our finding will initiate attempts to understand more fully the mechanism of oxygen activation at gold surfaces, which might lead to commercial exploitation of the high redox activity of gold nanocrystals.

Mathew D. Hughes1, Yi-Jun Xu1, Patrick Jenkins1, Paul McMorn1, Philip Landon1, Dan I. Enache1, Albert F. Carley1, Gary A. Attard1, Graham J. Hutchings1, Frank King2, E. Hugh Stitt2, Peter Johnston3, Ken Griffin3 & Christopher J. Kiely4

1. School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK
2. Johnson Matthey Catalysts, PO Box 1, Teeside TS23 1LB, UK
3. Johnson Matthey Catalysts, Orchard Road, Royston, Herts SG8 5HE, UK
4. Center for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Lehigh University, 5 East Packer Avenue, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18015, USA

Pieter Stroeve and his team have developed nano-sized membrane pores that may serve as the smallest available cables in mircroeclectornics.

The cables are composed of tellurium, cadmium sulfide, and layers with gold. - Journal of the American Chemical Society

“We’ve entered a new era. Now, that we’ve looked for it, it’s almost like it hit us right on the head. We envision a center for antimatter research, using lasers as cheaper antimatter factories.”

Gold usually forms in complex with other metals in various alloys. Silver and copper are common by products of gold mining. Gold containing 20% or more silver is known as electrum; gold alloyed with a lesser percentage of silver may be called 'green gold'. 'White gold' is an alloy with platinum or palladium and a hardening metal such as nickel.

Miners usually discover gold in association with other precious and base metals such as silver and copper. Gold is disseminated to the surface via hydrothermal processes and is often deposited as a quartz vein. Another common distribution is via fine dust, flakes or nuggets either on the surface or in an alluvial placer lode.

1) South Africa; 2) United States (Nevada); 3) Australia; Canada and Russia. Mali, Guyana, Venezuela and Guinea Bisseau are burgeoning gold producers.

Gold flour can be recovered via solution and separation with a mix of hydrochloric acid (HCl) and nitric acids known as 'aqua regia' producing chlorine as a byproduct. The trick is recovery of gold via electrolyzing the metal salts.

Gold is a fine electrical conductor, surpassed only by copper and silver. Gold is a stable and fairly uncreative chemical which means it will not be affected by exposure to moisture, oxygen, or ordinary acids. However, halogens will change gold's chemical structure. Gold can form univalent (aurous) and (trivalent) auric compounds, typically as auric chloride or chloroauric acid.

The carat scale is used to state the alloy percentage of gold. One carat is a 24th part by weight. Hence, pure gold is 24 carats fine - usually called 24 C fine. Various terminology describes fineness depending whether the context is one of mining, jewelry or other.

Thin, delicate and fragile - gaining lengths up to several inches yet weighing only a few grams - Round Mountain, Nevada, samples produce some of the finest examples of electrum leaf or herringbone gold. Crystalline Gold in general is very delicate to extract without damage to the specimen.

Tens of millions of years ago pressure within the earths core pushed up gold - in a bisulfied complex solution - through hydrothermal cracks at extreme pressure and temperatures. Upon reaching seams near the surface, both temperature and pressure are lowered. Therefore, the molten gold cools. When this molten is exposed to extremely heater steam vents, the molten gold crystallizes as it cools.

Crystalline gold has one (wire or sponge), two (leaf) or three (crystals) axes. Certain bacteria, such as pedomicrobium may produce 'budding' when found within electrum.

Electrum crystalline gold found within former geothermal vents, now called voids, are called Bonanzas.

Gold has a density of about nineteen grams per cubic centimeter. Because of this, it is extremely hard to produce forgeries of coins or ingots via substitution of other metals. Tungsten and Uranium provide similar densities, within standard measurement errors. Other than these two metals no other are equivalent. And up until very recently jewelry work with tungsten had been fairly rare, although the metal is now a fashionable one. The method for forging bars, coins and ingots is to hollow out the bar, and insert a lesser valuable but still dense metal, such as tungsten.

About twenty other metals have higher density than gold. Since some of these are expensive in their own right, they are not commonly used in gold forgeries. Figuring our the out the volume of the bar, coin or ingot is one key to determining authenticity. The displacement method provides a regular and fairly accurate way to determine authenticity of bars, coins and ingot. Here are the steps:

Obtain a sturdy and regular-shaped plastic container. The container walls should be completely perpendicular to the bottom. Corners should be square to both the walls and the floor. Fill the container up with water. Draw a line at the top of the water line (meniscus, for you bourgeoning hydrologists). Put the gold bar/coin/ingot into the container. Because the metal will displace water, the water line will rise in the container. The key is to use a container that is only a little bigger than the ingot. (You won't be able to see the ocean rise even if you through in the Empire State Building).

Mark the top of this new water line. Using an accurate and fine measuring tape, measure the difference in height of the water line from before to after the gold was put in. Since you can determine the interior dimension of the box, using the same measuring tape, you are now able to calculate the volume of the bar. When you divide mass by volume, you get density. In this case, you value should be around 19 grams/cubic centimeter (cc) - the approximate density of gold. If the value you get is different, then repeat the experiment carefully. If the value is still wrong, you might have a counterfeit and now you need to conduct additional tests.

An alternate method to conduct a density test is to weigh the ingot in both water and air. To measure a coin in water, you first must get the weight of the container and the water in it (this is called the 'tare') and then add the coin and re-weigh the coin, water, and container. air and weigh it in water. Its weight in air less its weight in water divided into its
weight in air will equal its density since all the volume variables will drop out.

We have a few very good books available on detecting counterfeit gold coins in our reference section.

Silver is an efficient chemical analyst. Curiously, silver serves as the only currently known catalyst to change ethylene into ethylene oxide, a component in plastic manufacturing.

Silver-jacket oxide wires can carry up to 150x the electric current of copper wire.

Silver is the best reflector of the visible light spectrum of all metals. Second only to gold for ductile malleability.

Silver plate is not solid silver. It is a service ware made of a base metal, typically copper or nickel, that is then covered with a thin coating of silver.

Reference For American Silver Marks
http://www.silvercollecting.com/silvermarksA.html

Look on your mother's, lovers, mistress, S/O, brokeress' or wife's silver set. What is stamped on the inside of the spoon?

Altering or improperly using hallmarks, or falsely reporting silver purity had previously been an offense punishable by death in more than one society.

In the historic archeology context, a silverplate mark is known as a diagnostic. Diagnostic identification is essential to the collectibles market; china glassware, furniture coins etc. E.g, what is the diagnostic to verify that your 41/2 overdate silver mercury dime is the real thing?
Regarding the silver test, what this question really begs is how can you determine the purity of silver or chemical composition of various alloys and minerals. Precious metal chemistry will take you down an incredible path.
Write home when you begin to understand colloid and cluster chemistry...

For over two thousand years people have known about and benefited from the antimicrobial uses of silver. This is why silver cups and goblet and silverware exists. For the last approximate 100 years that large petrochemical and pharmaceutical industries have spent untold millions to discredit time honored medicinal practices that utilize naturally occurring elements and compounds in order to create artificial markets for their wares. Despite this practice, silver use in antimicrobial and other medicinal uses continues to flourish. Silver interferes with microbial ability to multiply; as such microbes do not develop a resistance to silver.

Silver plated linens and silver plated filament yarn are worn to reduce swelling and inflation in patients and extreme sports participants. The size and type of silver delivered is extremely important to utilize the beneficial qualities of silver. Nano particle sized silver has seen particular research and development activity over the last 15 years. For instance, Samsung has begun using nanosilver linings in washing machines to reduce microbial populations in grey water and on equipment surfaces.

A. B. Searle; The Use of Colloids in Health and Disease. British Medical Journal, May 12, 1917

One of the most unstable metal salts, she is quite a sensitive lady - shock sensitive and able to explode under water.

http://www.rsc.org/CFmuscat/intermediate_abstract.cfm?FURL=/ej/CC/2001/b107855k.PDF

Silver teapots, cups or other items difficult to reach into can be cleaned by filling with warm water. Add a five minute denture-cleaning tablet per every two cups of water and let sit for ten minutes. Wipe off residue with a soft bristled horse or camel-hair brush. Repeat if necessary.

A & W SMELTER AND REFINERS
ACO
A.G.B.
AAA. PM
ACADEMY
ACROMATICS
AGNON
AGS
ALASKA MINT
AMERICAN ARGENT MINT
AMERICAN PRECIOUS METALS
ANGLO AMERICAN
ARGENTO ‘ITALIFO
ARGENTO PURO
ARGOR SCHIASSO
ARGOR HERAEUS SA
ARIZONA ASSAY OFFICE
ASARCO
ASP
B.R. MACKAY
BANKHAUS DEAK & CO. LTD.
BANZUE GENEVOISE
BACHE
BEAR PAW MINING CO.
BITTERROOT NUGGET EX.
BOATMENS NATIONAL BANK
BRC
BROWN MATERIALS CO.
BUNKER HILL
CASCADE REFINING
CMI/OMEGA
CNS INC. - DENVER
COLONIAL
COMMODITY EXCHANGE
COMMONWEALTH REFINING
CONSOLIDATED MINES AND METALS
CONTINENTAL COIN
CRABTREE MINT
CRIPPLE CREEK
CROWN MINT
CSR
D&H COMPANY INC.
& DCC
DEAK-PERERA
DELTA
DLM MINES
DON CASEY CO. INC.
DOYLES MINT
DRAPER - UTAH
DREW
MARSHAL REFINERS
ELECTRO/BOMBAY INDIA
ENGELHARD - ALL COUNTRIES
FINER
FOREIGN COMMERCE BANK
FOSTER MINT
KLIN MINT
GDC-TEMPE AZ.
GOLDEN ANALYTICAL
GOLDEN STATE MINT
GREATWESTERN COIN AND BULLION
GREEN CREEK MINE (ALASKA)
H&M
H&W MINTING
HAMILTON MINT
HANCOCK INDUSTRIES
HOFFMAN AND HOFFMAN
HOMESTAKE
HOOVER AND STRONG
HPM
INTERNATIONAL PRECIOUS METALS
INTERNATIONAL RECOVERY CO.
INTERNATIONAL SILVER LTD. INC.
IRRAWADDY COUNTING HOUSE
IRC
IRVING MINT
ISTANBUL ALTIN RAFINERISI
JOHNSON MATTHEY - ALL COUNTRIES
JW-DENVER GOLD & SILVER EX.
KALGOORLIE BULLION EX.
KEIFFER
KML
LSON
M2
MARTIN METALS
MARIO VILLA
MASTIFF METALS
MEE
METALREX
METAUX PRECIEUX
MFR EAGLE
MID SOUTH SILVER
MID SOUTH SMELTER
MM
MMM - COLORADO
MOCATTA METAL CORP.
MONARCH PRECIOUS METALS
MONEX INTERNATIONAL
MORGAN MINT
MOTHERLOAD
NEVADA COIN MART
NEVADA MINING COMPANY
NEVADA REFINING AND SMELTING
OIO
PACIFIC BULLION EX.
PANAMERICAN SILVER CORP
PERTH MINT
P G & G
PHOENIX PRECIOUS METALS
PLATT
PLRCO
PIONEER MINT
PORTLAND MINT
PVMR
RAINEER
RCG
RMMR
ROCKY MOUNTAIN MINT
ROYAL CANADIAN MINT
SAN DIEGO REFINING CO.
SANDOVAL JEWLER
S.A.H.
SASR
SB
SCHEFFIELD SMELTING
SCHWEIZERISCHER
SECURITY METALS COMPANY
SIERA SILVER CORP.
SILVER FARM
SILVER TOWNE
SIMMONS
SINGAPORE MINT
SMS
SOUTHEAST REFINING
SOUTHEAST REFINING INC
SPOKANE BULLION
SSS
STAR METALS
SUNSHINE MINTING
SUNSHINE REFINING/MINING
SWISS OF AMERICA
TEN-TEX
UNIVERSAL SILVER
UR
W.H. FOSTER INC.
WALLIG
WASHINGTON MINT
WEST COAST REFINING INC.
WILDBERG BROS. S&R CO.
WV
YELLOW DAISY REFINING CO.
UNITED STATES MINT @ S.F.
US ASSAY OFFICE @ N.Y.
US ASSAY OFFICE @ PHILLY
MINT OF THE UNITED STATES @ S.F.

Robinson Mine. Ely, White Pine County, Nevada. Currently operated by Quadra Mining.

In the body, selenium binds with mercury and aids in removal. Strong black and green teas are also theorized as cleansing and metal chelating agents serving to detoxify the body of heavy metals.

Mercury Fulminate [Hg(ONC)₂], aka mercury(II) cyanate. The Japanese used this primarily as a primary explosive in fuzed high detonation rounds. US industry used in blasting caps. This material is shock sensitive, dangerous especially as it ages.

Mercury is recyclable. As such, it is a type of hazardous waste known as a universal waste. Mercury switches, thermostats and barometers are types of universal wastes. Unfortunately, mercury in florescent lights is not conducive to recycling.

About mercury. Somebody asked me a bit about Hg, here was my preliminary primer on the mercurial one:

Lots of news lately about mercury in the water. Two important things you must keep in mind 1) Hg is transition metal. 2) Of all transitional metals, Hg is superlative IMO. In transition, how else do you think my ‘mercurial’ qualities could transpose from demi-god to mere mortal?

Why is one who is mercurial ever shape-changing, ephemeral, shrewdness, eloquent, quick and dark/moody? Absolutely fascinating element, perhaps my favorite after C, and Au.

Mercury is a b!tch to speciate. U gata have great control when conducting lab speciation. Methodology is cold vapor atomic fluorescence. If u want more technical lab info, search EPA 1631 in yahoo/dogpile (I no longer google). Basically, u can measure it as total, dissolved, total and dissolved methyl mercury, and if ure really good, as II.

You have to remember that mercury isn’t usually found in water because it usually isn’t LOOKED for in water. most scientist looking for mercury are looking for it in fatty tissue, as mono-methylmercury. Water will sequester Hg so it isn't bioavailable. Nobody really looks for it in water. Some look for it in soil and sediment where it is much easier to both qualify and quantify.

U can demethylate using gas strip/sparge; and dry alkali soils will demethylate to CH4

For whatever reason, I have happened to live in two of the biomes in N. america with the worst mercury issues, SF Bay and Carson River Sink.

However, Ima going to look into my crystal ball and guess that you are actually referring to mercury in water in s. america. Maybe Brazil and current micro mining techniques? Am I right?

Something (among the many things) that amuses me, is how many of the anti-mining enviro-nazis don’t realize how mining actually developed most of the metal remediation methods currently used today!

Yeah, amalgamation is absolutely fascinating! Think of it this way, you are trying to marry two metals, and can use any way to get them to stick together except temperature. So, does pressure count?!?!

Amalgamation is both chemical (allodial) and physical (partition, adherenece, adsorption, absorption). Ah yes, mercury and gold – battle of the two grandest metals.

Q: If the contamination is the free metal, could you remove the mercury contamination by passing the water over an ultrathin layer of gold, like a gold plated radiator? If you drop a thermometer in your house, and the mercury vaporizes, can you remove it by putting gold coins throughout the rooms?????

Think of alloidal composition; where the base is over %50. More like dropping a gold coin into a vat of mercury rather than getting particles to cleave to the coin. Are u talking molecular-thin? Gold-plated as in steel or aluminum with gold on top for prettiness? You wouldn’t even have the Hg in contact w/ Au. Moreover, the radiator implies heat, and therefore you don’t have true almagamation.

As far as the thermometer in the house, and removing using gold coins – that is hilariously funny. A great image, but won’t work.

Also, I don’t care how pure you think your Phillharmonics are, it ain’t pure gold.

There are specifically designed spill kits for mercury (basically a vacuum separation method)

Upon combination with Nitric Acid, Mercury forms Mercuric nitrate, which stays in solution. The mercury cannot be contaminated. One way to ensure free mercury is via distillation. CAUTION: Mercury distillation requires a very good fume hood. NEVER heat mercury without proper equipment, knowledge and engineering controls. The safer alternative for purifying mercury is pressure filtering through cheesecloth or a shammy.

To elicit a gold/mercury amalgam, place gold flour into a rock tumbler or clave. Add water to mercury so that a slurry is produced and then add nitric acid to the slurry (just a few drops from a dropper is sufficient to activate the mercury and form Mercuric nitrate. Turn the tumbler and the gold flour will amalgamate with the Mercuric nitrate in the mercury slurry.

To separate the gold, put the mercury into a nitric acid solution. It is essential to maintain temperature control during dissolution by using sufficient quantities of water. Otherwise it is possible to produce mercuric nitrate, an unwanted yellowish precipitate. Under extreme heat during the dissolution phase one can even change the Au valency state.

One of the oldest technique for gilding, called "best gilding" or "solid gilding", requires that gold of extremely high purity is mixed with mercury. The mixture is then applied to the piece requiring treatment and fired to roughly 725 degrees Celsius. Since mercury has a lower boiling point than gold, the mercury is boiled off off leaving gold. The gold gild requires burnishing to restore a glimmering appearance.

This poem was written by Karol Wojtyla - Pope John Paul II, under the pen name Andrzej Jawien

Girl Disappointed in Love

With mercury we measure pain
as we measure the heat of bodies and air;
but this is not how to discover our limits--
you think you are the center of things.
If you could only grasp that you are not:
the center is He,
and He, too, finds no love---
why don't you see?
The human heart--what is it for?
Cosmic temperature. Heart. Mercury.

Used for stainless steel and pipelines. A basic construction material. Similar to tungsten for the ability to withstand high temperatures and corrosion.

Austenitic steel is subject to pitting in high chloride environments. Duplex steel is sometimes used instead. Or titanium. SS is not good with seawater at ambient temperatures. Most troubling is the lack of warning before catastrophic failure. It can perform fine one day and then fail the next. Sometimes a light red color change can indicate trouble.

As of summer 2006, Tungsten jewelry has just started to get hot, fashion-wise - on the west coast. We've seen Tungsten jewelry showing up in certain shops in California, Nevada and even Idaho.

Good metal plating will often have a base coat to ensure that the final coat takes better and produces an appearance more pleasing to the eye. For example, gold plated metals may have an underplate of silver.

Chrome plating typically has nickel plating which is polished and then a chrome plate is added. Really good chrome plating has a copper plate with polished nickel overlain and then the chrome applied.

American Machinists Handbook. Colvin and Stanley. Seventh Edition. Maple Press Company. McGraw Hill Book Company. 1940. 1,387 pages. Cover is well worn with light damage. Pages are in very good condition. Net almost good. An important reference work. $19.95

Electrum - An alloy of gold and silver first used by the Greeks in coinage starting approximately 600 BC.

Section 331 of Title 18 of the United States code provides criminal penalties for anyone who “fraudulently alters, defaces, mutilates impairs, diminishes, falsifies, scales, or lightens any of the coins coined at the Mints of the United States.” This statute means that you may be violating the law if you change the appearance of the coin and fraudulently represent it to be other than the altered coin that it is. As a matter of policy, the U.S. Mint does not promote coloring, plating or altering U.S. coinage: however, there are no sanctions against such activity absent fraudulent intent.

Note, the US Treasury also states something else interesting on this same webpage. Namely, they will replace damaged circulated coins for their metal value.

What is the definition of mutilated coins? Is it illegal for people to use coins to make jewelry, souvenirs or other items?

"Those coins are classified either as not current or as mutilated. Coins that are chipped, fused, and not machine-countable are considered mutilated. The Mint redeems mutilated coins at the value of their metal content. Mutilated coins are only redeemable through the United States Mint at:

Title 18, Chapter 17, and Section 331, "prohibits the mutilation, diminution and falsification of United States coinage."

Hence, altering a mintmark to gains from the sale is illegal whereas melting down a coin for its intrinsic metal value is not.

How to melt a penny (Note: Zinc melts at 419.58 C [about 787 F.] whereas Copper melts at 1083.4 C).

http://www.inhabitat.com/2010/02/01/researcher-creates-strongest-metal-foam-ever/