Glass is manufactured by cooling a melt to produce a rigid structure without crystallization. The binary oxides
Question:
Glass is manufactured by cooling a melt to produce a rigid structure without crystallization. The binary oxides B2O3 and SiO2 are the primary components of borosilicate glass. Possible structural units include B(μ-O)4, B(μ-O)3, B(Ot)3, Si(μ-O)4 and Si(Ot)4 where μ-O and Ot are bridging O atoms and terminal O‾ units, respectively.
(a) Draw diagrams to show the structures of these units and how they might interconnect where appropriate, paying attention to atomic charges. Comment on the bonding in each unit.
(b) Suggest other Si- or B-centred structural units that might be present in borosilicate glass.
(b) Na2O is added to glass as a modifier. Suggest what role it plays when added to a borosilicate glass containing approximately 70% SiO2, 14% B2O3, 10% Na2O and 6% Al2O3, by weight.
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