What exactly is glass?

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How does glass become transparent if it’s made of sand. My lil brainy can’t make sense of small rocks (my knowledge of sand) becoming transparent by any process like melting or pressure.

In: Chemistry

6 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Think of it like ice cubes. Most ice cubes you see aren’t clear, they’re white. This has to do with impurities and bubbles while solidifying. But there is a way to make completely clear ice cubes (many companies are in business to provide clear ice), and it’s done using a specific process. In this process, when water crystalizes, the water crystals form in such a way that light doesn’t diffuse while passing through. The silica crystals that are made into clear glass do the same. the light passes all in the same direction (I don’t say pass through, because in both water and glass, the light gets refracted, but all in the same direction).

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