Some Corrosion Studies On Silver–Tin Amalgam

AbstractThe corrosion behaviour of a clinically acceptable amalgam under conditions related tothe oral environment was studied using weight change, potential/time and potentiostatic techniques.In synthetic saliva solution the presence of oxygen and the previous polishing of amalgam with pumice and whiting reduced the corrosion rate. The presence of mucin in the saliva solution reduced the corrosion rate in the longer weight-change experiments but had no marked effect in the potential/time and potentiostatic experiments.The amalgam was most active in sulphide solution; in phosphate, citrate, acetate and bicarbonate solution the amalgam was least active, passive behaviour being evident. Thesi1ver–tin alloy phase behaved differently to the amalgam in both saliva and sulphide solutions in potentiostatic expenments indicating that the tin–mercury phase is the active anodic phase in amalgams.