Uses
Sodium Oxide is mostly used as in glass making. In the typical application, glass contains around 15% sodium oxide, the other components being silica (silicon dioxide) and lime (calcium oxide) at around 70% and 9%, respectively. The soda serves as a flux to lower the temperature at which the silica melts. Soda glass has a lower melting temperature vs pure silica, and has improved mechanical properties due to its slight increases in elasticity. These changes arise because the silicon dioxide and soda react to form sodium silicates.