Soda-lime glass is a kind of the glass which is most widely used for various purposes. It can be processed so inexpensively that it is used for windowpanes or bottles.

Soda-lime glass can be created by mixing silicon dioxide, sodium carbonate, calcium carbonate (or calcium oxide) and melting them. Adding sodium carbonate enables to lower the melting point of the glass, thus lowering the demand for energy to heat it up, but it also make the glass solutable to the water. In order to prevent it, adding calcium carbonate or calcium oxide is needed.

Soda-lime glass has the construction that sodium ions(Na⁺) and calcium ions(Ca²⁺) are inserted into the construction of silicate ion that the tetrahedron made of silicon atoms and oxygen atoms are stretched. The glass transition temperature is about 730°C and the melting point is about 1000°C.

The water with powders of soda-lime glass shows alkalinity because Na⁺ and Ca²⁺ dissolve into water and hydrolysis happens.

The flame test of soda-lime glass shows the color that Na⁺ color and Ca²⁺ color are mixed.

Glass