the fire assay reloaded

The fire assay process is still the most accurate and precise method for measuring the gold content in gold alloys. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy have been applied to observe the change in microstructure of the samples undergoing the fire assay process. The performed observations reveal that the microstructure of the specimen is more complex than expected. Before the parting stage, the specimen is not a perfect gold–silver binary alloy but contains also copper–silver oxides and other residual compounds. The parting stage appears to be a dealloying process leading to a nanoporous gold nanostructure. What observed after partition explains the evolution of the shape and colour of the specimen and may allow for a better comprehension of the procedure and an improvement in the method

Formation of Political Culture of Society on the Basis of Synergetic Mechanisms

Abstract The article deals with the topical problems of formation of political culture in the Russian society from the standpoint of synergetics. We consider in this context the main features of the synergetic processes that foster the involvement into political activities of various groups of population. We reveal the features of the formation of synergetic mechanisms of civil society, which is considered taking into account the specificity of the domestic social and cultural traditions of participation of the society's active members in solving the public and political problems. The basic synergetic mechanisms of individuals' adaptation in the space of intercultural interaction are described as the conditions of the political culture formation