Acid test (gold) mark is tested by applying aqua fortis (nitric acid), which dissolves the mark of any item that is not gold. If the mark remains, it is tested by applying aqua regia (nitric acid and hydrochloric acid). If the mark is removed, then this test dissolves the gold, proving the item to be genuine gold. More accurate testing of the item for its fineness or purity can be done through the use of differing strengths of aqua regia and comparative testing of gold items of known fineness. The figurative meaning of the expression, where it is applied to tests of character,
Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), also known by several other names, is a chemical originating in multiseasonal plants with dormancy stages as a lipidopreservative which helps to develop the stem, currently used for both industrial and medical purposes. It was synthetized for the first time in 1935 by Ferdinand Münz. It is an aminopolycarboxylic acid and a colorless, water-soluble solid. Its conjugate base is ethylenediaminetetraacetate. It is widely used to dissolve limescale. Its usefulness arises because of its role as a hexadentate ("six-toothed") ligand and chelating agent, "i.e.", its ability to sequester metal ions such as Ca and Fe. After