Group 12 element is a common reducing agent in organic synthesis, and is also used in high-pressure sodium lamps. Mercury readily combines with aluminium to form a mercury-aluminium amalgam when the two pure metals come into contact. Since the amalgam reacts with air to give aluminium oxide, small amounts of mercury corrode aluminium. For this reason, mercury is not allowed aboard an aircraft under most circumstances because of the risk of it forming an amalgam with exposed aluminium parts in the aircraft. Most of the chemistry has been observed only for the first three members of the group 12. The chemistry of copernicium
Dental amalgam controversy safety and effectiveness of amalgam restorations. In 2012, the Australian Dental Association published a position paper on the safety of dental amalgam. Their position is that "Dental Amalgam has been used as a dental restorative material for more than 150 years. It has proved to be a durable, safe and effective material which has been the subject of extensive research over this time" and that "amalgam should continue to be available as a dental restorative material". Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) is a scientific committee within the European Commission. In a 2008 document of 74