Ceramics
Chemistry: AQA GCSE Higher, topic 10.3.4
Ceramics
Ceramics are inorganic (not carbon-based), non-metallic solids. Some examples of ceramics are:
Pottery and bricks
- Both of these materials are made from clay.
- Wet clay is moulded into the desired shape before being heated in a furnace to produce a hard clay ceramic.
Glass
- Most of the glass we use is soda-lime glass.
- This type of glass is produced by combining limestone, sodium carbonate and sand and then heating the mixture.
- Borosilicate glass (Pyrex) is another important type of glass.
- This type of glass is made by combining sand and boron trioxide and then heating the mixture to a greater temperature than needed for making soda-lime glass.
- Pyrex is commonly used in chemical glassware (e.g. test tubes, conical flasks etc) and kitchenware.
Test yourself on Ceramics
Examples of ceramics
How does making borosilicate glass differ from making soda-lime glass?
What do the methods of making pottery and making soda-lime glass have in common?
What do pottery, bricks and glass all have in common?