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by Seth C. Rasmussen (Author)
Glass production is thought to date to 2500 BC and had found numerous uses by the height of the Roman Empire. Yet the modern view of glass-based chemical apparatus (beakers, flasks, stills, etc.) was quite limited due to a lack of glass durability under rapid temperature changes and chemical attack. This "brief" gives an overview of the history and chemistry of glass technology from its origins in antiquity to its dramatic expansion in the 13th century, concluding with its impact on society in general, particularly its effect on chemical practices.
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Glass production is thought to date to 2500 BC and had found numerous uses by the height of the Roman Empire. The modern view of glass-based chemical apparatus (beakers, flasks, stills, etc.) was quite limited, however, due to a lack of glass durability under rapid temperature changes and chemical attack. In the mid 1200s, this began to change as the glassmakers of Venice and Murano began blending previous Roman methods with raw materials from the Levant, as well as developing pretreatment and purification methods of the raw materials used. The combination of these practices resulted in a new glass with a strength and high melting point suitable for use in chemical apparatus. The ability to produce vessels from glass allowed much greater freedom and versatility in the design of chemical apparatus. In addition, the resulting improved glass technology lead to the invention of eyeglasses and a vast improvement in still design, which in turn allowed the isolation of important materials such as alcohol and the mineral acids. This text will give an overview of the history and chemistry of glass technology from its origins in antiquity to its dramatic expansion in the 13th century, concluding with its impact on society in general, particularly its affect on chemical practices.
Author Biography
Seth C. Rasmussen is an Associate Professor of Chemistry at North Dakota State University (NDSU) in Fargo (seth.rasmussen@ndsu.edu). He received his B.S in Chemistry from
Washington State University in 1990 and his Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from Clemson University in 1994, under the guidance of Prof. John D. Peterson. As a postdoctoral associate at
the University of Oregon, he then studied conjugated organic polymers under Prof. James E. Hutchison. In 1997, he accepted a teaching position at the University of Oregon, before moving
to join the faculty at NDSU in 1999. Active in the fields of materials chemistry and the history of chemistry, his research interests
include the design and synthesis of conjugated materials, photovoltaics (solar cells), organic light emitting diodes, the application of history to chemical education, the history of materials, and chemical technology in antiquity. As both author and editor, Prof. Rasmussen has contributed to books in both materials and history and has published more than 50 research papers. He is a
member of various international professional societies including the American Chemical Society, Materials Research Society, Alpha Chi Sigma, Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry, and the International History, Philosophy & Science Teaching Group.
Prof. Rasmussen currently serves as the Program Chair for the History of Chemistry division of the American Chemical Society and as Series Editor for Springer Briefs in Molecular Science: History of Chemistry.
