Metallurgy is a domain of materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic

compounds, and their mixtures, which are called alloys. It is also the technology of metals: the way in which science is applied to their practical use. Metallurgy is distinguished from the craft of metalworking. Hydrometallurgy is part of the field of extractive metallurgy involving the use of aqueous chemistry for the recovery of metals from ores, concentrates, and recycled or residual materials. Hydrometallurgy is typically divided into three general areas: Leaching Solution concentration and purification Metal recovery

Electrometallurgy is the field concerned with the processes of metal electrodeposition. There are five categories of these processes: electrowinning, the extraction of metal from ores electrorefining, the purification of metals electroplating, the deposition of a layer of one metal on another electroforming, the manufacture of, usually thin, metal parts through electroplating Powder production[citation needed]

Chromium (

/kromim/ KROH-mee-m) is a chemical element which has the symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first

element in Group 6. It is a steely-gray, lustrous, hard metal that takes a high polish and has a high melting point. It is also odorless, tasteless, and malleable. The name of the element is derived from the Greek word "chrma" (), meaning colour,[2] because many of its compounds are intensely coloured. Chromium oxide was used by the Chinese in the Qin dynasty over 2,000 years ago to coat weapons such as bronze crossbow bolts and steel swords found at theTerracotta Army. It later came to the attention of the west when it was discovered by Louis Nicolas Vauquelin in the mineral crocoite (lead(II) chromate) in 1797. Crocoite was used as a pigment, and after the discovery that the mineral chromite also contains chromium, this latter mineral was used to produce pigments as well. Chromium was regarded with great interest because of its high corrosion resistance and hardness. A major development was the discovery that steel could be made highly resistant to corrosion and discoloration by adding chromium to form stainless steel. This application, along with chrome plating(electroplating with chromium) are currently the highest-volume uses of the metal. Chromium and ferrochromium are produced from the single commercially viable ore, chromite, by silicothermic or aluminothermic reaction or by roasting and leaching processes. Although trivalent chromium (Cr(III)) is required in trace amounts for sugar and lipid metabolism, few cases have been reported where its complete removal from the diet has caused chromium deficiency. In larger amounts and different forms chromium can be toxic and carcinogenic. The most prominent example of toxic chromium is hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)). Abandoned chromium production sites often require environmental cleanup.

Copper (

/kpr/ KOP-r) is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from Latin: cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is

a ductile metal with very highthermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddishorange tarnish. It is used as a conductor of heat and electricity, a building material, and a constituent of various metal alloys. The metal and its alloys have been used for thousands of years. In the Roman era, copper was principally mined on Cyprus, hence the origin of the name of the metal as yprium (metal of Cyprus), later shortened to uprum. Its compounds are commonly encountered as copper(II) salts, which often impart blue or green colors to minerals such as turquoise and have been widely used historically as pigments. Architectural structures built with copper corrode to give green verdigris (or patina). Decorative art prominently features copper, both by itself and as part of pigments. Copper(II) ions are water-soluble, where they function at low concentration as bacteriostatic substances, fungicides, and wood preservatives. In sufficient amounts, they are poisonous to higher organisms; at lower concentrations it is an essential trace nutrient to all higher plant and animal life. The main areas where copper is found in animals are tissues, liver, muscle and bone.

Magnetism is a property of materials that respond at an atomic or subatomic level to an applied magnetic field. Ferromagnetism is the strongest and most familiar type of magnetism. It is responsible for the behavior of permanent magnets, which produce their own persistent magnetic fields, as well as the materials that are attracted to them. However, all materials are influenced to a greater or lesser degree by the presence of a magnetic field. Some are attracted to a magnetic field (paramagnetism); others are repulsed by a magnetic field (diamagnetism); others have a much more complex relationship with an applied magnetic field (spin glass behavior and antiferromagnetism). Substances that are negligibly affected by magnetic fields are known as non-magnetic substances. They include copper, aluminium, gases, and plastic. The magnetic state (or phase) of a material depends on temperature (and other variables such as pressure and applied magnetic field) so that a material may exhibit more than one form of magnetism depending on its temperature, etc.

Chelation is the formation or presence of two or more separate coordinate bonds between a polydentate (multiple bonded) ligand and a single central atom.[1]Usually these ligands are organic compounds, and are called chelants, chelators, chelating agents, or sequestering agents. The ligand forms a chelate complex with the substrate. Chelate complexes are contrasted with coordination complexes composed of monodentate ligands, which form only one bond with the central atom. Chelants, according to ASTM-A-380, are "chemicals that form soluble, complex molecules with certain metal ions, inactivating the ions so that they cannot normally react with other elements or ions to produce precipitates or scale." The word chelation is derived from Greek , chel, meaning claw; the ligands lie around the central atom like the claws of a lobster.[2]

isomerism, the existence of molecules that have the same numbers of the same kinds of atoms (and hence the same formula) but differ in chemical and physical properties. The roots of the word isomer are Greekisos plus meros, or equal parts. Stated colloquially, isomers are chemical compounds that have the same parts but are nonetheless not the same. To make a crude analogy, two bracelets, each consisting of five red and five green beads, could be arranged in many different isomeric forms, depending on the order of the colours. Each bracelet would have the same partsthat is, the five red and five green beadsbut each variation would be different. One could also imagine combinations of those same beads in which pendant chains were attached to a bracelet in a variety of ways. One might imagine two bracelets of the same red-green order but with identical chains attached in different orientations. Such structures also would be analogous to isomers. In a more subtle analogy, ones hands can be seen as isomeric. Each hand possesses the same kinds of fingers, but a right hand can never be superimposed perfectly on a left hand; they are different. Timing and energy are also factors in isomerism. Molecules are mobile entities, undergoing all sorts of rotational motions that change their shapes, and those motions require energy. Thus, some molecules can be the same on one timescale or set of energy conditions but different, or isomeric, on others. Finally, an isomer must be an energy minimum; it must lie in an energy well. There are two general types of isomers. Constitutional isomers are molecules of different connectivityanalogous to simple bracelets in which the order of red and green beads is different. The second type is stereoisomers. In stereoisomers the connectivity is the same, but the parts are oriented differently in space.

Chelation therapy is the administration of chelating agents to remove heavy metals from the body. For the most common forms of heavy metal intoxicationthose involving lead, arsenic or mercurythe standard of care in the United States dictates the use of dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA).[citation needed] Other chelating agents, such as 2,3-dimercapto-1-propanesulfonic acid (DMPS) and alpha lipoic acid (ALA), are used in conventional and alternative medicine. No approved medical research has found any benefits to chelation therapy for other diseases or ailments.[1] [2]