Metals have many properties but some are prone to corrosion. Alloying metals improve their properties. Ceramics, polymers and composites have desirable properties that allows them specific uses.
Glass is transparentAble to be seen through. and hardAble to resist wear, scratching and indentation. but it is brittleIf something is brittle it is easily broken..
Most of the glass we use is soda-lime glass. This is made by melting a mixture of sand (silicon oxide), sodium carbonate and limestone, then allowing the moltenA term used to describe a liquid substance (eg rock, glass or metal) formed by heating a solid. liquid to cool and solidify.
Borosilicate glass is made by heating sand with boron trioxide. Borosilicate glass has a much higher melting point than soda-lime glass.
Question
State and explain which type of glass would be best to make a boiling tube, for use in a
school chemistry laboratory.
Borosilicate glass would be best because it has a higher melting point than soda-lime glass. This
means that it will not melt when it is heated using a Bunsen burner.
Clay ceramics
Clay ceramics include brick, china and porcelain. They are made by shaping wet clay and then heating it to a high temperature in a furnace, which causes crystalA solid containing particles (atoms, molecules or ions) joined together to form a regular arrangement or repeating pattern. to form and join together.
Clay ceramics are often coated with a glaze, which hardens on heating to form a hard, smooth, opaqueNot transparent or see-through. and waterproof layer. This explains why they are often used for dinner plates and bowls.