Most zinc today is obtained from ZnS, extracted from zinc blende ore and roasted to remove the sulfur. Zinc can also be obtained by electrolysis of aqueous zinc sulfate, a common laboratory exercise. Zinc can be readily cast or molded. Most cadmium today is recovered as a by-product of the zinc refining process. It is also used in special motion-sensitive switches and in ordinary fluorescent lamps.
Mercury alloys well with a number of metals.
The alloys are known as amalgams . Dental alloy is an example of one such amalgam in common use. Lead was bombarded with zinc atoms to achieve a mass total of 277. No name or symbol has been suggested. Background links go to the Periodic Table created at Los Alamos National Laboratories by Robert Husted.