Abstract: A method of skull-melting comprises the steps of:a. providing a vessel adapted for a skull-melting process, the vessel having an interior, an underside, and an orifice in connecting the interior and the underside;b. disposing a waveguide in the orifice so that the waveguide protrudes sufficiently into the interior to interact with the skull-melting process;c. providing a signal energy transducer in signal communication with the waveguide;d. introducing into the vessel a molten working material;e. carrying out the skull-melting process so that a solidified skull of the working material is formed, the skull and the vessel having an interface therebetween, the skull becoming fused to the waveguide so the signal energy can be transmitted through the waveguide and the skull without interference from the interface;f. activating the signal energy transducer so that a signal is propagated through the waveguide; and,g.

Abstract: Contaminated iridium is refined by alloying it with an alloying agent selected from the group consisting of manganese and an alloy of manganese and copper, and then dissolving the alloying agent from the formed alloy to provide a purified iridium powder.