The first part of this monograph consists of a discussion of the microstructures of molten silicates and other inorganic substances. It is made up of seven chapters. Chapter 1 considers developments in ion-cluster theory. Chapter 2 introduces experimental approaches to the direct monitoring of a molten sample, such as hightemperature Raman spectroscopes which have successfully recorded Raman spectra from melts at temperatures of 2000K or more. Chapter 3 shows that five types of Si-O tetrahedron are appropriate microstructural units for setting up structural models. Chapter 4 confirms the SiOT model as being the primary ion-cluster theory for the efficient and reliable description of high-temperature Raman spectra. In Chapter 5, the CEMS model is created in order to interconnect microstructures and thermodynamic properties - with no adjustable parameters.
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