Quartation

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As Quartation (from latin quarte = Fourth) refers to the separation of gold and silver (a kind of gold-silver-divorce) with corresponding silver alloys by hot nitric acid (nitric acid). The name is derived from the ratio 1: 3 between gold and silver (a quarter of gold) of the base alloy used for this. A larger proportion of gold prevents separation. It was later found out that alloys with a higher gold content can also be used if more concentrated nitric acid is used. Today this method is rarely used.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ JR Wagner: Metals and their processing. Leipzig 1866, pp. 215-216.