[en] Several studies have been made of the mechanism of the reaction between zirconia and silica using plasma dissociated zircon (DZ) as the source of zirconia and of the silica. The suggestions have been made that the formation of a ceramic body from milled DZ proceeds at significantly lower temperatures than it does with the mixed oxides for reasons largely connected with the intrinsically near-perfect mixing, and that the implications could have some commercial importance. The re-association and dissociation reactions are very complex in nature and the completion, or otherwise, and the re-association to zircon is not necessarily reflected in the mechanical properties of the ceramic body; purely textural considerations may be more relevant. (author)