Glass
1. Glass is a solidified super-cooled solution of various metallic silicates having infinite
viscosity.
2. Glass becomes softer and softer with a rise in temperature and is ultimately
transformed into a mobile liquid.
3. There are 11 forms of special varieties of glass for commercial purposes. They
are sheet glass, plate glass, coloured glass, wired glass, structural glass,
laminated glass, bullet-proof glass, fibre glass, foam glass, flint glass and soluble
glass.
4. Glass can take up a high polish and can absorb and refract light. It does not have
a definite crystalline structure. Glass is available in many beautiful colours.
5. The main raw materials required to manufacture common glass are salt cake,
chalk, coke and ordinary sand. The chemical formula of salt cake is Na2SO4.
6. For all the types of glass, in addition to the raw materials, cullets and decolorizers
are also added. Cullet is used to indicate pieces of broken glass or waste glass.
7. Common glass is mainly a mixture of sodium silicate, iron silicate and calcium
silicate. It is usually available in green, brown or yellow colour.
8. Decolorizers are substances which are added to glass in addition to the raw
materials in order to avoid any colouring effects due to the presence of iron
compounds in the glass. Some of the examples of decolourisers are antimony
oxide, manganese dioxide and cobalt oxide.
9. Soda-lime glass is also known as soft-glass or soda-glass. This type of glass is
available in a clean and clear state and is used to manufacture glass tubes and
other laboratory apparatus.
10.Soda-lime glass is made of calcium silicate with sodium silicate. Soda-lime glass
is cheap and is readily fusible at relatively low temperatures.
11.Potash-lime glass is also known as hard-glass. It is also called Bohemian-glass.
It is used to manufacture combustion tubes and other glass articles which have to
withstand high temperatures.
12.Potash-lead glass is also known as flint glass. This type of glass possesses
bright lustre and is used to manufacture artificial gems, lenses, electric bulbs, etc.
13.Potash-lead glass is a mixture of lead silicate and potassium silicate. It fuses very
readily and can be easily attacked by aqueous solutions.
14.Common glass is also known as bottle glass. This type of glass is prepared using
cheap raw materials and is generally used to manufacture medicine bottles.
15.The process of slow and gradual cooling of glass articles is known as annealing.
16.Glass can be made opaque by grinding the surface of the glass with emery. It can
also be done chemically by applying hydrochloric acid.
17.In the silvering of glass, a thin coat of tin is first applied on which silver is then
deposited. Then, a suitable paint is applied in order to protect it against
atmospheric effects.
18.Manganese dioxide is added to the glass in order to make its colour violet.
19.Chromium sesquioxide is added to the glass in order to make its colour green.
20.Bullet-proof glass is made of many layers of plate glass. Alternate layers of
vinyl-resin plastic are present in this type of glass. This glass does not allow the
bullet to pierce through it.
21.Fibreglass consists of minute glass rods. Fibreglass is fire-proof and soft to
touch. This type of glass is flexible in nature. Also, it does not absorb water.
