Amalgam chemistry
OverviewUse in miningImportant amalgamsAmalgam probeToxicitySee alsoFurther readingExternal links
Mercury has been used in gold and silver mining because of the convenience and the ease with which mercury and the precious metals will amalgamate. In gold placer mining, in which minute specks of gold are washed from sand or gravel deposits, mercury was often used to separate the gold from other heavy minerals.
After all of the practical metal had been taken out from the ore, the mercury was dispensed down a lon



































