Powdered Glass Test

Rinse thoroughly with Purified Water six or more containers selected at random, and dry them with a current of clean, dry air. Crush the containers into fragments about 25 mm in size, divide about 100 g of the coarsely crushed glass into three approximately equal portions, and place one of the portions in the special mortar. With the pestle in place, crush the glass further by striking 3 or 4 blows with the hammer. Nest the sieves, and empty the mortar into the No. 20 sieve. Repeat the operation on each of the two remaining portions of glass, emptying the mortar each time into the No. 20 sieve. Shake the sieves for a short time, then remove the glass from the Nos. 20 and 40 sieves, and again crush and sieve as before. Repeat again this crushing and sieving operation. Empty the receiving pan, reassemble the nest of sieves, and shake by mechanical means for 5 minutes or by hand for an equivalent length of time. Transfer the portion retained on the No. 50 sieve, which should weigh in excess of 10 g, to a closed container, and store in a desiccator until used for the test.

Spread the specimen on a piece of glazed paper, and pass a magnet through it to remove particles of iron that may be introduced during the crushing. Transfer the specimen to a 250-mL conical flask of resistant glass, and wash it with six 30-mL portions of acetone, swirling each time for about 30 seconds, and carefully decanting the acetone. After washing, the specimen should be free from agglomerations of glass powder, and the surface of the grains should be practically free from adhering fine particles. Dry the flask and contents for 20 minutes at 140 , transfer the grains to a weighing bottle, and cool in a desiccator. Use the test specimen within 48 hours after drying.

Procedure

Transfer 10.00 g of the prepared specimen, accurately weighed, to a 250-mL conical flask that has been digested (aged) previously with High-Purity Water in a bath at 90 for at least 24 hours or at 121 for 1 hour. Add 50.0 mL of High-Purity Water to this flask and to one similarly prepared to provide a blank. Cap all flasks with borosilicate glass beakers that previously have been treated as described for the flasks and that are of such size that the bottoms of the beakers fit snugly down on the top rims of the containers. Place the containers in the autoclave, and close it securely, leaving the vent cock open. Heat until steam issues vigorously from the vent cock, and continue heating for 10 minutes. Close the vent cock, and adjust the temperature to 121, taking 19 to 23 minutes to reach the desired temperature. Hold the temperature at 121 ± 2.0 for 30 minutes, counting from the time this temperature is reached. Reduce the heat so that the autoclave cools and comes to atmospheric pressure in 38 to 46 minutes, being vented as necessary to prevent the formation of a vacuum. Cool the flask at once in running water, decant the water from the flask into a suitably cleansed vessel, and wash the residual powdered glass with four 15-mL portions of High-Purity Water, adding the decanted washings to the main portion. Add 5 drops of Methyl Red Solution, and titrate immediately with 0.020 N sulfuric acid. If the volume of titrating solution is expected to be less than 10 mL, use a microburet. Record the volume of 0.020 N sulfuric acid used to neutralize the extract from 10 g of the prepared specimen of glass, corrected for a blank. The volume does not exceed that indicated in Table for the type of glass concerned.

Table: Test Limits for Powdered Glass Test

			Limits
Type	General Description a	Type of Test	Size, b  mL	mL of 0.020 N Acid
I	Highly resistant, borosilicate glass	Powdered Glass	All	1.0
III	Soda-lime glass	Powdered Glass	All	8.5
a  The description applies to containers of this type of glass usually available. b  Size indicates the overflow capacity of the container.