Overview: What Is Glass?
Glass is a peculiar state of matter with some of the properties of a solid and some of a liquid. The scientific definition of “glass” refers to a solid structure in which the molecules do not form crystals but flow over one another. In addition, when the substance is heated, rather than forming a liquid, it forms a semi-solid in the “glass transition”.
Common Glass Is Made of Sand
The most common form of glass is made up of silica (like sand), some lime, and sodium. This is the type used in windows and typical glassware. It is brittle and fragile, and it has been used for thousands of years. If a student heats a glass tube made of this substance in a Bunsen burner flame, it is easy to stretch it and make pipettes, because the molecules can move around and flow in the semi-solid state. Glass blowers and artists use this common property of glass to make beautiful art forms.
Plastics Are Another Common Form of Glass
The ingredients forming glass can be varied. For example, other elements can be added to the silica-lime-sodium mixture to vary the color and shine of glass, such as different types of oxides or lead. In addition, under the scientific definition of glass, it can be made using acrylics and other forms of plastics. These forms of glass are stronger and lighter, and used commonly in eyeglasses and other types of lenses.
New Ways to Make Glass
Most recently, scientists have used molecular and computer technology to discover more about how the atoms in glass are precisely arranged. It was known that some substances formed glass when their liquid forms were first melted, then cooled. They would either form the hard lattice structure of a crystal or the smooth, flowing shape of glass. Scientists theorized that some crystals would form inside the substance and they would flow over one another. If they could control the structure, they could transform solids into forms of glass.
Glass Formed of Metal
Metallic alloys that form glass are under development currently. They combine the toughness of metal with the transparent nature of glass. They do not crack and shatter under pressure like glass does, so it may be possible to design a plane that has wings made of glass. Not too long ago, a tank made of transparent aluminum was science fiction. It was many times stronger and lighter than a similar tank that size would be made of glass. Thin sheets of transparent aluminum and other substances are currently under development.
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