[Studies on high temperature oxidation of noble metal alloys for dental use (I). Formation of oxide layers and oxidation rate (author's transl)].

Eight commercial and two experimental alloys were examined. The cast specimens were polished metallographically and oxidized at 700 degrees and 800 degrees C in air. An electron probe X-ray microanalyser and a microthermobalance were employed to investigate the oxidation behavior of the alloys. The results obtained were as follows: 1. The copper in the alloys was selectively oxidized and the scales formed on the alloys consisted of two layers, CuO overlying Cu2O. 2. The oxide particles in the internal oxidation zone (subscale) on the alloys containing only Cu as the base metal were Cu2O and on the alloys containing Zn, Cd, and Ni with Cu were ZnO, CdO, and NiO, respectively. 3. The size of the ZnO and CdO particles in the subscale increased with the penetration into the specimen. 4. The ZnO particles in the metal-subscale interface showed preferential precipitation at the grain boundaries. 5. When the oxide particles in the subscale did not develop remarkably, the oxidation rate at constant temperature conformed with the parabolic law. 6. In the 18 carat gold alloy, the oxidation rate at 800 degrees C was about 10 times that at 700 degrees C. 7. Owing to preferential oxidation of the Cu in the alloys, Cu concentration in the outer layer of the metal decreased remarkably and Au, Pt, Ag and Pd concentration increased.