The reaction of soda-lime-silicate glassware with model cleaning solutions gives rise to a systematic pattern of inhomogenous corrosion. This corrosion is not uniform on the entire surface, but is located only to certain regions of the glassware. The surface composition, as determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and the microstructure, as characterised by optical and scanning electron microscopy, vary considerably in different regions of the glassware. The visibly heterogeneous corrosion pattern, which correlates with the compositional and structural inhomogeneities, is explained in terms of surface conditions that exist during different stages of glass manufacturing. The role of sodium disilicate in solution is also explored for promoting inhomogenous glass corrosion.
