Amalgamated zinc is

zinc Zinc is a chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. Zinc is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodi ...

that has been surface treated with

mercury Mercury commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Merc ...

to form a surface

amalgam Amalgam most commonly refers to: * Amalgam (chemistry), mercury alloy * Amalgam (dentistry), material of silver tooth fillings ** Bonded amalgam, used in dentistry Amalgam may also refer to: * Amalgam Comics, a publisher * Amalgam Digital ...

containing little contamination from other elements. It is typically used for reduction, and is written as Zn(Hg) in reactions.

Applications

* Used from ~1837 to reduce 'local action' which degraded operation of

Voltaic pile upright=1.2, Schematic diagram of a copper–zinc voltaic pile. The copper and zinc discs were separated by cardboard or felt spacers soaked in salt water (the electrolyte). Volta's original piles contained an additional zinc disk at the bottom, ...

s. See History of the battery#Invention. * To chemically reduce metallic ions in solution. See

Jones reductor A Jones reductor is a device used to reduce aqueous solutions of metal ions. The active component is a zinc amalgam. Jones reductors have been used for preparing solutions of titanium(III), vanadium(II), chromium(II), molybdenum(III), niobium(III) ...

. *To reduce ketones and aldehydes to alkanes via the

Clemmensen reduction Clemmensen reduction is a chemical reaction described as a reduction of ketones (or aldehydes) to alkanes using zinc amalgam and concentrated hydrochloric acid. This reaction is named after Erik Christian Clemmensen, a Danish chemist. The orig ...

in acidic conditions.

References

Electrochemistry Metallurgy Zinc alloys Mercury (element) Amalgams {{metallurgy-stub