Raman microprobe investigation of oxygen and carbon dioxide dissolution from bubbles in silicate glasses containing antimony oxide

Abstract

The effect of addition of antimony oxide and/or sodium nitrate to silicate glass compositions upon the changes in the relative concentrations of oxygen and carbon dioxide in their bubbles from heat treatment was investigated using the Raman microprobe technique. The addition of antimony oxide to these glasses increased the relative rates of oxygen dissolution from their bubbles with respect to glasses containing no refining agents. These increases were closely related to the absolute amounts of Sb3+ ions that were present in the glasses. The relative rates were faster for glasses containing antimony oxide than for glasses containing the same molar amounts of arsenic oxide. The higher Sb3+/Sb5+ ratios for glasses containing antimony oxide with respect to the As3+/As5+ ratios for glasses containing arsenic oxide caused the relative rates of oxygen dissolution to be dramatically greater for the former glasses. In contrast to an earlier investigation with silicate glasses containing arsenic oxide, the addition of sodium nitrate to glasses containing antimony oxide using a similar glass preparation did not significantly change their relative rates of oxygen dissolution.