Question

Give the chemical name, formula and uses of the water glass.

Answer 1

Hint: Around 1940 Jean Baptist van Helmont observed water glass as a fluid produced by melting together sand and excess alkali. The chemical was defined in the 1892 translation of von Wagner’s Manual of Chemical Technology.

Complete step by step answer:
First, let us know about water glass.
Water glass is the common name for an aqueous solution of either sodium silicate or potassium silicate. Water glass is also called “liquid glass”. It gets its name because it’s essentially glass in water and as the water evaporates, the solution solidifies into a glassy solid.
Now, considering the question, let us know the chemical name, formula and uses of water glass.
Chemical name: The chemical name of water glass is sodium silicate or soluble gas, a compound containing sodium oxide and silica that forms a glassy solid. It is colorless when pure, common pale green or blue from the iron-bearing impurities. The solid is usually a white powder that dissolves in water to yield an alkaline solution.
Formula of glass water: ${ N{ a }_{ 2 }({ SiO }_{ 2 }) }_{ n }O$ , although ${ { K }_{ 2 }({ SiO }_{ 2 }) }_{ n }O$ is also a form of water glass.
Uses of water glass: The use of this simple compound is used to make sand molded castings along with manufacturing industries like cements, refineries, textile industries etc. Water glass is used as a water treatment in wastewater treatment plans. Water glass will bind to heavier molecules and drag them out of the water.

Note: Sodium silicate also works as a strong adhesive and is effective in bonding metals and other materials together. The inorganic bond will adhere together in a strong, tough and rigid manner.