Glass production is thought to date to ~2500 BC and had found numerous uses by the height of
the Roman Empire. Yet the modern view of glass-based chemical apparatus (beakers flasks
stills etc.) was quite limited due to a lack of glass durability under rapid temperature
changes and chemical attack. This brief gives an overview of the history and chemistry of glass
technology from its origins in antiquity to its dramatic expansion in the 13th century
concluding with its impact on society in general particularly its effect on chemical
practices.
