oxide glass

…only two families of glasses: oxide glasses containing large amounts of transition-metal ions and chalcogenides. In metallic solids there are a large number of weakly bound electrons that can move about freely through the crystal structure, but in insulating solids the electrons are confined to specific energy levels known as…

Of the various glass families of commercial interest, most are based on silica, or silicon dioxide (SiO₂), a mineral that is found in great abundance in nature—particularly in quartz and beach sands. Glass made exclusively of silica is known as silica glass,…

The wide range of the properties of glasses depends on their composition, and special effects result from the presence of various modifying agents in certain basic glass-forming materials (see above Atomic-scale structure).