[en] The peculiarities of changes in the content of alloying components in vacuum melting (exemplified by Ti and Mo alloys) and the formation of the ingot composition in the bottom, central, and peripheral portions are considered. For the purposes of the investigation a process model was adopted, which is characterized by negligibly small evaporation of the alloy base, complete smoothing-out of the composition in the liquid bath volume, the constancy of the temperature over the entire evaporation surface, and a number of other assumptions, whose correctness was confirmed by the experiment. It is shown that the best possibilities for suppression of evaporation of components with a high vapour pressure are offered by a vacuum arc or electric slag melting, because they make it possible to conduct the process at high pressures with minimum overheating. A method of refining by overheating was developed. A method for refining alloys with volatile components was found; it consists of the first remelting ro remove volatile impurities and their deposition in the peripheral layers of the ingot, and the second remelting, which ensures the averaging of the ingot composition. Typical versions of distribution of the volatile components or the impurity across the ingot are singled out