Sodium amalgam escaping into the environment, the mercury cell process is generally being replaced by plants which use a less toxic cathode. Sodium amalgam Sodium amalgam, commonly denoted Na(Hg), is an alloy of mercury and sodium. The term amalgam is used for alloys, intermetallic compounds, and solutions (both solid solutions and liquid solutions) involving mercury as a major component. Sodium amalgam is often used in reactions as strong reducing agents with better handling properties compared to solid sodium. They are less dangerously reactive toward water and in fact are often used as an aqueous suspension. No particular formula is assigned to "sodium
Amalgam tattoo Amalgam tattoo Amalgam tattoo (also termed localized argyrosis, or focal argyrosis) is a grey, blue or black area of discoloration on the mucous membranes of the mouth, typically on the gums of the lower jaw. It is an iatrogenic lesion, caused by entry of dental amalgam into the soft tissues. It is common, painless, and benign, but it can be mistaken for melanoma. Amalgam tattoo usually occurs on the mandibular gingiva, often in an area in which a apicoectomy ("root-end filling") with amalgam was carried out. After the gingiva, the alveolar mucosa and the buccal mucosa are the next most