Editing State of matter (section)

=== Glass ===
{{Main|Glass}}

{{multiple image
 | image1    = Silica.svg
 | alt1      = Atoms of Si and O; each atom has the same number of bonds, but the overall arrangement of the atoms is random.
 | total_width= 400
 | image2    = SiO² Quartz.svg
 | alt2      = Regular hexagonal pattern of Si and O atoms, with a Si atom at each corner and the O atoms at the centre of each side.
 | footer    = Schematic representation of a random-network glassy form (left) and ordered crystalline lattice (right) of identical chemical composition.
}}

[[Glass]] is a non-crystalline or [[amorphous solid]] material that exhibits a [[glass transition]] when heated towards the liquid state. Glasses can be made of quite different classes of materials: inorganic networks (such as window glass, made of [[silicate]] plus additives), metallic alloys, [[Ionic liquid|ionic melts]], [[aqueous solution]]s, molecular liquids, and [[polymers]].
Thermodynamically, a glass is in a [[metastable state]] with respect to its crystalline counterpart. The conversion rate, however, is practically zero.