Question

Try to find it:
……..glass dissolves in water.

Answer 1

Hint: The glasses are generally solid in nature. They come in the category of amorphous solids. They are transparent in nature and can be man-made or naturally occurring materials. In this solution we will see which type of glass is soluble in water and its chemical and physical properties. We will learn about the chemical formula of this glass and its constituents.

Complete answer:
We know that glasses are generally amorphous solids in nature and they are not crystalline solids. They are in solid form and transparent in nature. Glasses can be man-made or naturally occurring materials.
So, the glass which is known as alkali silicate dissolves in water or we can say that it is soluble in water. It is also known as sodium silicate (where sodium is an alkali metal) or water glass (because it is soluble in water).
The chemical formula of water glass is given as:
${(N{a_2}O)_X}.{(Si{O_2})_Y}$
In the above formula, the X and Y represent the number of moles of each constituent in the water glass. The X and Y are variables, so we can say that the constituents (alkali and silicate) can combine in different proportions to form water glass.
Hence, the answer is Alkali silicate or water glass.

Note:
There are some physical and chemical properties of alkali silicate (or sodium silicate) such as it is a white powder or crystalline solid. They are soluble in water (which is an exception) and produce alkaline solution when dissolved in it. Sodium silicates are soluble in both the alkaline and neutral solutions.