Periodic Table of the Elements (abbreviated for pottery reference)
| I have found the PERIODIC TABLE helpful to remind me how the elements that are used in the making of pottery fit together. From left to right, the columns of the PERIODIC CHART display elements by the number of electrons residing in the outside shell of the atom. Elements on the left have electrons available to give up to a chemical bond. The elements on the right are prepared to accept electrons in a chemical bond. The 'Transition Elements' in the center of the table are positioned to go either way -- in small amounts they affect the color more than the fundamental chemistry of clays and glazes. When two or more elements combine to make a strong bond, each element has filled the highest level of its outside energy shell by sharing electrons with its partner(s). Ceramics are made up of combinations of 'Oxides' -- that is, elements that have already bonded with Oxygen to form stable 'Oxide' molecules. For instance, clay is a mixture of Oxide molecules of one or more of the 'Active Metals'(on the left) plus Oxides of Aluminum and Silicon (on the right). The same is true for high-temperature Stoneware and Porcelain glazes -- the fundamental chemistry of Stoneware and Porcelain clays and glazes is quite similar, nearly identical. This near-unity of high-temperature clay and glaze chemistry is responsible for much of the mystery, magic and beauty of Stoneware and Porcelain. | |||||||||||||||||
| I have found the PERIODIC TABLE helpful to remind me how the elements that are used in the making of pottery fit together. From left to right, the columns of the PERIODIC CHART display elements by the number of electrons residing in the outside shell of the atom. Elements on the left have electrons available to give up to a chemical bond. The elements on the right are prepared to accept electrons in a chemical bond. The 'Transition Elements' in the center of the table are positioned to go either way -- in small amounts they affect the color more than the fundamental chemistry of clays and glazes. When two or more elements combine to make a strong bond, each element has filled the highest level of its outside energy shell by sharing electrons with its partner(s). Ceramics are made up of combinations of 'Oxides' -- that is, elements that have already bonded with Oxygen to form stable 'Oxide' molecules. For instance, clay is a mixture of Oxide molecules of one or more of the 'Active Metals'(on the left) plus Oxides of Aluminum and Silicon (on the right). The same is true for high-temperature Stoneware and Porcelain glazes -- the fundamental chemistry of Stoneware and Porcelain clays and glazes is quite similar, nearly identical. This near-unity of high-temperature clay and glaze chemistry is responsible for much of the mystery, magic and beauty of Stoneware and Porcelain. | |||||||||||||||||