An alloy is a substance produced by melting together two or more metals, sometimes a definite chemical compound, but more generally a solid solution of some such compound in an excess of one of the components. Most metals mix together in all proportions, but others unite only in definite proportions, and form true chemical compounds. Others, again, will not alloy, and when fused together, and then allowed to solidify, form not a homogeneous mixture, but a conglomerate of distinct masses.
Alloys differ from their components in most of their physical properties. Their hardness is in general increased, their malleability and ductility impaired. The colour of an alloy may closely resemble that of one of the components, or may be entirely different from the colours of both. Its specific gravity is sometimes less than the mean of its component metals. Alloys are always more fusible than their components, at any rate than the least fusible component. Newton's fusible metal, composed of three parts of tin, two or five parts of lead, and five or eight parts of bismuth, melts at temperatures varying from 198 degrees to 210 degrees Fahrenheit (and therefore in boiling water); its components fuse respectively at the temperatures 442 degrees, 600 degrees and 478 degrees Fahrenheit. Sometimes each metal retains its own fusing-point. With few exceptions metals are not much used in a pure state. 19th century British gold coins contained eight percent silver; 19th century British silver coins 7.1 percent copper. Printer's types were made from an alloy of lead and antimony; brass and a numerous list of other alloys are formed from copper and zinc; bronze from copper and tin. Research Alloy
Britannia Metal (White Metal) is a metallic alloy consisting of 85 to 94 percent tin, 5 to 10 percent antimony and about one percent of zinc or bismuth. It was used before cupro-nickel for making teapots and cutlery. Research Britannia Metal
Diamagnetic is a term applied to substances which, when under the influence of magnetism and freely suspended, take a position at right angles to the magnetic meridian, that is, point east and west. From the experimennts of Faraday it appears that all matter is subject to the magnetic force as universally as it is to the gravitating force, arranging itself into two great divisions, the paramagnetic and diamagnetic. Among the former are iron, nickel, cobalt, platinum, palladium, titanium, and a few other substances; and among the latter are bismuth, antimony, cadmium, copper, gold, lead, mercury, silver, tin, zinc, and most solid, liquid, and gaseous substances. When a paramagnetic substance is suspended freely between the poles of a powerful horse-shoemagnet it points in a line from one pole to the other, which Faraday terms the axial line. On the other hand, when a diamagnetic substance is suspended in the same manner it is repelled alike by both poles, and assumes an equatorial direction, or a direction at right angles to the axial line. Research Diamagnetic
Electrum is a naturally occurring alloy of gold and silver. The gold content varies but is usually around 65 - 80 percent. Other metals, such as copper, bismuth or palladium are also sometimes present. In Ancient Greece the term electrum was given to an alloy of gold and silver containing 80 percent gold. The term electrum is also given to an artifically created alloy of gold and silver. Research Electrum
Fusible is a term meaning something which can be melted. Fusible metal is an alloy, usually of lead, tin, and bismuth, compounded in such definite proportions as to melt at a given low temperature. In steam-engines, a plug of fusible metal was placed in the skin of the boiler, so as to melt and allow the steam to escape when a dangerous heat is reached - thereby forming a safety fuse. Research Fusible
Abbreviations
Research Aldebaran
