Abstract
The most apparent properties of metals, their luster and their color, have been known to mankind since metals were known. Because of these properties, metals were already used in ancient times for mirrors and jewelry. The color was utilized 4000 years ago by the ancient Chinese as a guide to determine the composition of the melt of copper alloys: the hue of a preliminary cast indicated whether the melt, from which bells or mirrors were to be made, already had the right tin content.
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For example, R.E. Hummel, Optische Eigenschaften von Metallen und Legierungen, Springer-Verlag, Berlin (1971).
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© 1993 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Hummel, R.E. (1993). The Optical Constants. In: Electronic Properties of Materials. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-4914-5_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-4914-5_10
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-81-7319-021-6
Online ISBN: 978-94-017-4914-5
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