Tratamiento metalúrgico de calaminas antes del descubrimiento científico del zinc metal
- 1 Escuela de Ingeniería de Minas, Energía y Materiales de Oviedo.
ISSN: 1888-8615
Year of publication: 2018
Issue: 31
Pages: 15-24
Type: Article
More publications in: De re metallica ( Madrid ): revista de la Sociedad Española para la Defensa del Patrimonio Geológico y Minero
Abstract
Zinc was, until its isolation by Margraff in 1746, a metal unknown in the West and of magical properties whose origin was unknown. Zinc ingots were imported from China and India, which were the foci of pre-industrial zinc production with a very advanced metallurgy that would not be comparable in the West until the 18th century. In Europe quality brass was produced by the cementation process from pre-classical times although there was no real knowledge of how it was obtained, due to which the obtained brass varies enormously in composition. The irruption of the zinc coming from the East allowed to manufacture a more homogeneous brass, fostering a very refined brass metallurgy in some European regions.