Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c22.s6.27

v1.c22.s6.27

claims of brass objects having been made in the ancient world (Turkey, Greece, Iran) during first millennium BC by the accidental cementation process viz., reducing a zinc-containing copper ore at a temperature above 917°C (b.p. of zinc) but not far above 1000°C. By this process zinc vapour gets absorbed in copper. It has been proven by Haedecke (1973) that this cementation process cannot give brass containing more than 28 per cent zinc.