(1) a mixture alloy (eutectic mixture), an alloy formed by crystallizing the components of the alloy when the liquid alloy is solidified, such as solder, cadmium-cadmium alloy, etc.;
(2) a solid solution alloy, an alloy forming a solid solution when the liquid alloy solidifies, such as a gold-silver alloy;
(3) An intermetallic compound, an alloy in which each component forms a compound with each other, such as brass composed of copper or zinc (β-brass, γ-brass, and ε-brass).
Many properties of alloys are superior to pure metals, so alloys are mostly used in applied materials (see ferroalloys, stainless steels).