Controversy over ancient Chinese bronze chemistry

By Tom Metcalfe2022-08-11T08:30:00

A pair of objects that look like stylised knives, and are about the same size. Their heavy patina suggests they are made from bronze.

Source: © The Trustees of the British Museum/CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Study suggests bronze was made from alloys rather than pure metals, but experts remain unconvinced

A study has provoked debate about whether the ingredients in ancient Chinese recipes for bronze, Jin and Xi, were not pure metals but alloys. This would show that the bronze-making process was more complicated than expected.

But the work has been criticised by some experts. They suggest that discrepancies between the recipes and the chemistry of ancient Chinese bronze objects are due to errors in the original text, contamination and flaws in assessing their chemistry.