title: Mineralogical and chemical changes in pyrite after traditional processing for use in medicines.
abstract: Pyrite has been the most commonly used medicinal mineral, and its toxicity was reduced by traditional processing operations including heating and quenching in vinegar. To verify the scientific effects of this process, pyrite was processed at temperatures up to 850 degrees C and through as many as five processing cycles. A metal extraction test was carried out from the processed pyrites on the assumption that pyrite medicines with the lowest toxic metal content would be most desirable. Increasing temperature and the number of processing cycles promoted phase change of pyrite to hematite, reduction of toxic metals in pyrite and their concentrations in the extraction solutions. However, the relationships between variations in extracted elements and the number of processing cycles at the same processing temperature were not clearly defined. Heating temperature is more important than the number of processing cycles for effective processing, and pyrite should be processed at the highest possible temperature in order to diminish highly toxic metals such as As and Pb.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geo-system Engineering, Daejon University, Daejon 300-716, Korea.
authors.forename: Jeong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Soon Do
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Hur
authors.forename: Young Bae
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Seo
mesh_terms: D003460:Crystallization; D004577:Electron Probe Microanalysis; D007501:Iron / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000627:therapeutic use* / Q000633:toxicity; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D013440:Sulfides / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000627:therapeutic use* / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D013440:Sulfides; C011342:pyrite; D007501:Iron