Making glass

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A close-up, full-frame photograph of multicoloured stain glass panels

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Try this class practical to make samples of glass using lead oxide, zinc oxide and boric acid. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

In this experiment, students heat a mixture of lead oxide, zinc oxide and boric acid strongly until it melts, forming molten glass. They can colour their glass samples by adding traces of various transition metal oxides, before allowing beads of glass to cool in order to examine them.

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