The influence of final mercury content on the characteristics of a high-copper amalgam.

In this study, specimens of a high-copper amalgam, prepared at different final Hg contents, were examined in several different experiments. The results showed that as the Hg content is increased, a point is reached beyond which creep and the amount of Sn in gamma1 exhibit a sudden increase. As the Hg content is increased further, gamma2 can be detected. These phenomena can be explained by the hypothesis that insufficient Cu is present at higher Hg contents to combine with Sn to form Cu6Sn5.