Edit page | Page history | Printable version

quartation

(Science: chemistry) The act, process, or result (in the process of parting) of alloying a button of nearly pure gold with enough silver to reduce the fineness so as to allow acids to attack and remove all metals except the gold.

Synonym: inquartation. Compare parting.

Origin: L. Quartus the fourth: cf. F. Quartation. So called because usually enough silver is added to make the amount of gold in the alloyed button about one fourth.