The amount of tin in the γ1 phase of dental amalgam

Spherical‐particle Ag‐Sn alloy powders containing 4.3, 8.3, 12.0, 15.4, 18.5, 21.4, and 24.1 atomic per cent Sn were obtained. Amalgams from these alloys were examined by x‐ray diffraction and metallography for the presence of the γ2 phase and the γ1 → β1 phase transformation. A single amalgam of the approximate composition of dental amalgam was prepared from a melt at high temperature and pressure and likewise examined. Results showed that the solubility of Sn in Ag‐Hg is about 7 atoms of Sn per unit cell of the γ phase. As clinically prepared, the γ1 phase of dental amalgam contains, however, only about 5 atoms of Sn per unit cell. These 5 atoms, nevertheless, result in a very considerable stabilization of this phase due to the increase in its electron concentration.