Corrosion of an implant consisting of almost equal parts of iron and brass proceeded due to the cathodic protection of the brass, which was attacked only after the iron portion had dissolved. The corrosion of the brass proceeded as dezincification, during which dissolved copper was redeposited on the brass where it acted as a cathode that accelerated the corrosion process. Especially noteworthy was the precipitation of secondary corrosion products from ions originating in the acidified area of the anode during the primary stage of corrosion by neutralization with body fluids. These secondary corrosion products were identical with chemical compounds occurring in nature as minerals. The processes of corrosion, as well as the conversion of the primary to secondary corrosion products, are in accordance with thermodynamics, which states that all metals created from minerals through the expenditure of chemical energy have a tendency to revert to their original state.
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