(This article, as well as a lot of interesting things about radiation on my website: http://www.radiation-around.ru/).
Surely, many of you have recently heard (or read) the phrase "Uranium glass", without even suspecting that repeatedly faced and (or) continue to face this in everyday life. Very
an insidious phrase, however, like the word "Uranus" itself. For some, this word will cause associations with
The 7th planet of our solar system, someone with the ancient Greek god of the sky, and someone with metal
actinide with serial number 92 in the periodic table of Mendeleev. The topic considered below will be
closer to those whose associations are connected specifically with metal, and is interesting to everyone without exception (I hope :)).
To the question "what properties does the metal "Uranium" have, the vast majority will answer "radioactivity".
And not in vain, because this is its main property, for which humanity has been digging for almost a century
huge pits and many kilometers of mines in the earth's surface in search of this cherished metal.
Knowledgeable people, of course, will object now, adding that metal alloys with uranium impurities have
incredible strength that they are used to create durable armor and armor-piercing shells, etc. etc.
But that would be a digression from the topic. But there is another remarkable property of uranium, which manifests itself,
when it is added as an impurity. For example, if you add uranium to glass (approximately 3% of the total mass of glass),
then it will acquire a beautiful greenish tint. And if this glass is also exposed to ultraviolet radiation,
then it will begin to emit a bright acid-green light. 
photo: website flyback.org.ru, user Alhim 
photo: site fotkidepo.ru, user A-Guru
Solutions containing uranium (uranyls), uranium salts, minerals, etc. have the same properties. If you
get into an old abandoned mine, where uranium used to be mined, and shine on its vaults with an ultraviolet flashlight, you will see a huge number of luminous bizarre veins - patterns of acid green color. However, I don'tI would recommend that you climb into such mines, despite the fact that there are enough of them left in our wonderland with
times of the USSR.
You are probably thinking now, they say, but in what way does this concern us? After all, uranium glass is something so
exotic, specific, and it is unlikely that a mere mortal will be "lucky" to encounter him in this life.
But what if I say now that right behind you is a huge piece of this very uranium glass?
For example, in a sideboard, among the huge amount of crystal that you so diligently hoarded in Soviet times?
That green vase over there: 
Not? Well then, maybe that clock in the green glass counter? 
Not again? Then the handle on that old wooden door that you haven't changed yet? 
photo: forum.rhbz.ru, user Lexis
Or that same green ashtray that you inherited from your father?
Or salt shakers on the kitchen table? 
And if those very green or turquoise buttons are made of a material that was once incomprehensible to you, similar to glass?
photo: site rus-sur.ru, user 2011
Another name for uranium glass, which was previously used everywhere, is "Royal glass". Between two
you can put an equal sign with these names, and you will not be mistaken. The same royal glass from which the Soviet
times riveted a huge number of "artifacts", in most cases useless, performing purely decorative
functions. Previously, if you had a vase of royal glass in your sideboard, then you lived in abundance.
Now on the Internet you can find a large amount of old rubbish from uranium glass on various trading floors.
right away that the prices bite a little, and for this reason I still haven’t got something like that myself :) But something for me
still got my hands on it. These are the so-called "cabochons" - glass pieces for decorating various unaesthetic household items, to create all sorts of mazek and other things.
they are under ultraviolet 
Similar can be found in stores of various glass products. The main advantage of these glass pieces over others
types of glass, according to the manufacturer, is the very ability to luminesce under ultraviolet light. Honestly, I have a hard time imagining any room with ultraviolet lighting. Is it some kind of medical room in whichcarry out quartzing, but at such moments people, as a rule, are not in the room. Anyway.
Let's move on from covering this problem "in breadth" and move on to lighting "in depth": what is uranium glass and what it is eaten with.
Uranium glass is a mixture of borosilicate glass with uranium-238 oxide (usually). When the ratio of the mass of glass and uranium
1.5% glass has a yellow tint. At a mass ratio of 3%, the glass becomes green. When adding more the amount of uranium, the glass does not change its shade, but only loses transparency and the ability to luminesce in UV radiation, andradioactivity is only growing, so it makes sense to vary the percentage of uranium within 0 ... 3% of the total mass of glass.Depleted uranium oxides (U238 isotopes) are mainly used. This isotope is the most stable, so products fromuranium glass are weak sources of alpha radiation. Over time, U238 decays, and in glassdaughter decay products with shorter half-lives accumulate. As a result, the radioactivity of uranium glassgrows and other types of radiation (betta, gamma) appear.
The radioactivity of royal glass products varies from about 20 to 1500 μR / h in total for alpha, beta and gamma, and the maximum safe background level established by the authorized bodies is 30 μR / h (what types of radiation andI won’t explain why they are dangerous, there is enough information on the Internet). It depends on factors such as theuranium isotope, percentage of uranium oxide, type of glass, product size, and even oxide distribution uniformityby volume of glassware. That bunch of glass pieces that fell into my hands emits 830 microR / h in total in beta and gamma.This is about 28 times higher than the maximum safe level of radiation. Alpha, unfortunately, is not possible to measure.And if my radiometer were also sensitive to alpha, then the readings would be higher than 1000 μR / h.
1 µSv/h=100 µR/h; 8.36 µSv/h=836 µR/h
If you have never been a little more interested in radiation than a layman, then you may be a little scared.above the figures described, they say, how is it ??? 30 times the maximum allowable radiation level! But no, this level of radiationthere is no need to be particularly afraid. First, in order to get radiation sickness from uranium glass, you must be exposed to it.radiation for several years continuously. Secondly, the radiation power is inversely proportional to the distance fromsource. And if you have such a vase somewhere in the sideboard, or you use a salt shaker or an ashtray from time to time,then you have nothing to fear. You do more harm by smoking cigarettes or having x-rays every six months.
Handling uranium glass is also not dangerous, because the combination of uranium and glass is very strong. No wonder it's highly radioactive. waste is often stored in glass.
Therefore, if you do not keep a uranium glass salad bowl under your pillow or do notif you carry a piece of "uranium" in your trouser pocket, then there is absolutely nothing to be afraid of, and you should not rush to throw out the green vase.May she continue to please the eye. Well, if you are an inveterate radiophobe, then do not forget that there are a lot of people on the Internet,who want to buy this artifact, and for pretty good money.
In conclusion, I would like to say about some BUT:
1. Not all green glass is uranium. There are various types of glass that are given a green and yellow tint by adding other non-radioactive impurities. The most reliable way to find out if this glass is uranium or not is to measure its radioactivity. If there is no dosimeter, then shine a UV flashlight on it, it should glow brightly with an acid green light. In principle, you can even use a purple flashlight, as, for example, in some lighters or fountain pens, but this will not give a 100% guarantee.
2. There are established thresholds for the absorbed dose at which a person receives one or another degree of radiation sickness. But We must not forget that it depends on the characteristics of the body of each person. Someone stay healthy after spending a week insidethe fourth power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, and for some, a short contact with uranium glass is enough, so it cannot be argued thatthat it is safe, even if you are not physically in contact with it, but only occasionally are nearby.
µR/h. The more visits to this page, the higher the radioactivity of uranium glass :)
Uranium glass; - a mysterious and mystical thing. Here is how Lyudmila Markovna Gurchenko talked about her first meeting in it ... Once in the Hermitage, where I went every Saturday and Sunday, when I was filming in Leningrad, I saw a transparent green vase! The sun was shining brightly, this vase of amazing beauty stood on a cabinet made of Karelian birch. Words cannot convey! Then I found out that it was uranium glass, which was no longer produced in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century, because glassblowers were dying from uranium fumes. I, while still studying at the institute, began to go to commission stores to buy vases. Now I have three windows - all in uranium glass! Sun, Karelian birch, green vase and pink flower!
Uranium glass is glass that has been tinted with uranium oxide in colors ranging from transparent yellow to deep yellow-green, turquoise, and even blue. But this glass is not only distinguished by its color. Its main difference is that uranium glass is intensely fluorescing - it burns in ultraviolet rays.
All this happens due to the addition of uranium oxide to the glass before melting. Its content in glass ranges from 0.3% to 4-6%, although some objects of the 19th century contain even up to 25% uranium. Interestingly, with an increased content of uranium salts, fluorescence gradually weakens and completely disappears when the content of uranium salts is more than 20% of the total glass mass.
Are uranium products hazardous to human life and health? Now let's find out...
Photo 2. 
So, one more time.
uranium glass- glass, which is colored with uranium oxides, has a beautiful yellow-green color (a group of yellow-green glasses ZHZS) with a rather intense green fluorescence. The melting of uranium glass does not present any difficulties regarding the special conditions and modes of glass melting, but wide application is limited by the scarcity and high cost of uranium compounds.
A feature of uranium glass is fluorescence, which lies in the fact that uranium glass, by absorbing ultraviolet and violet rays, transfers part of the absorbed energy to the region of the green radiation spectrum. For practice, it is very important that this secondary, green radiation does not continue the path of the previous beam, but is scattered.
Uranium glass is silicate, for which calcium, zinc and barite compositions are recommended and preferably high in potassium and boric anhydride, this provides more intense glass fluorescence. The lead content in the glass does not give fluorescence, but mixed lead-barium-zinc glasses fluoresce. The content of uranium should be relatively large 0.3-1.5%, since the coloring ability of uranium is small, in some cases 4-6% uranium is introduced, however, with a higher content of uranium in the glass, the fluorescence gradually weakens.
Uranium is introduced into the charge in the form of yellow sodium uranium Na 2 UO 4 , or mixed oxide U 3 O 8 =UO 2 *2UO 3 dark green, other oxides of uranium orange UO 3 or brown UO 2 .
Photo 3. 
Well, if you understand from a scientific point of view, then we can talk about two risk factors - radioactive exposure and chemical toxicity of uranium glass
There is no doubt that uranium is radioactive, but due to its long half-life (4.5 billion years), and the only alpha activity of its radio emission, the radiation hazard of uranium glass is very negligible. In addition, it must be taken into account that such glass can emit radiation only on its surface and the range of these radioactive particles is no more than 10-15 cm. Therefore, storing uranium glass in a residential area does not pose a risk of exposure to residents. Accordingly, if you admire your collection glass from a distance of half a meter and devote no more than 2 hours a day to cleaning it, then you have practically no chance of getting even a minimal dose of radiation!
As for the chemical toxicity of uranium, in this respect, the uranium contained in the glass does not pose any danger, just as the lead contained in large quantities (tens of percent) in all crystal products does not pose a danger. But crystal glassware is used everywhere and much more often than uranium glassware. The isolation of radon with uranium glass has not been experimentally confirmed, but even if this would happen, the effect of radon on the body in such insignificant quantities is not considered as something super-harmful.
Lyudmila Gurchenko lived a long and fruitful life surrounded by her huge collection - one of the best evidence of this.
Photo 4. 
And now a little about the history of uranium glass. The appearance of uranium glass is estimated at least 79 BC. BC, which date a mosaic found in a Roman villa at Cape Posillipo in the Gulf of Naples (Italy) in 1912 and containing yellow glass with 1% uranium oxide. Since the end of the Middle Ages pitchblende (uranite) began to be mined from the silver mines of the Habsburgs near the city of St. Joachimstal in Bohemia (now Jachymov, Czech Republic) and was used as a dye in local glass production. The beginning of the mass production of uranium glass products occurred already in the Late Middle Ages, after the discovery of uranium-containing compounds in the silver mines of the Habsburgs in Joachimsthal (Bohemia). The discoverer of uranium, the German chemist Martin Klaproth (1743-1817), conducted successful experiments on coloring glass with uranium compounds.
The very first industrial production of uranium glass began in the 1830s at I. Riedel's manufactory in Unter Polau, Bohemia. Josef Riedel named the main colors of uranium glass after his wife Anna: -Grun) - Annagryn.
At the Riedel manufactory, traditional for that time blown vases, glasses and glasses, decorated with engraving, were made from uranium glass.
In the 40s of the nineteenth century, the production of uranium glass began everywhere, including in Russia. Each manufacturer made its own changes to the glass formulation. The color and shades of uranium glass ranged from mustard to white, turquoise and blue. We also experimented with the transparency of glass. Translucent glass was called vaseline, opaque green - chrysoprase or jade
The largest number of uranium glass products falls on the period of Art Nouveau and Art Deco, that is, in the 1880s-1930s. One of the largest glass manufacturers at that time was the famous English firms BAGLEY and DAVIDSON. They diversified the finishing of glass products by frosting with hydrofluoric acid, diamond carving, as in cutting crystal, combined uranium glass with other types of glass in one product, decorated it with engraving and etching. Manufacturers have been experimenting with new glass additives - mostly large amounts of iron oxides - to achieve new colors and effects.
But at all times, the main danger of uranium glass was precisely in its production. Contact with uranium oxides caused great harm to the health of glassblowers both in the era of handicraft production, and later, when the leading manufactories switched to the production of uranium glass on an industrial scale by pressing. But all this is already in the past. During the Second World War, the production of uranium glass was stopped forever.
Photo 5. 
Currently, uranium glass is practically not produced and is an antique and collectible value. The cost of uranium glass products, like all antiques in general, is affected by a number of factors - time of manufacture, complexity, beauty, manufacturer's name and rarity on the market. The cost of products ranges from several tens of dollars to thousands and more. The unusualness of uranium glass will never become boring to its owner and every time it will remind you of the carefree era between the two world wars - when people were in a hurry to live and enjoyed every minute.
And even though you may not always admire your uranium glass in the dark with special lighting, this will not prevent you from feeling like the owner of a unique and rare item from a bygone era.
Photo 6. 
However, it is still worth recalling that since uranium is radioactive, uranium glass is, to one degree or another, a source of radiation hazard. It depends on the content of uranium, its origin and isotopic composition, and the age of the item. The maximum danger is presented by products made with the addition of natural uranium minerals, in which the latter is in secular equilibrium with its decay products. If chemically pure uranium is used, purified from daughter decay products, then the product is initially only a weak source of alpha rays, but over time, decay products accumulate in it, which eventually leads to a significant increase in radioactivity. The safest addition is depleted uranium.
Photo 7. 
Photo 8. 
Photo 9. 
Photo 10. 
Photo 11. 
Photo 12. 
Photo 13. 
Photo 14. 
Photo 15. 
Photo 16. 
Photo 17. 
Photo 18. 
Photo 19. 
Photo 20. 
Photo 21. 
Photo 22. 
Photo 23. 
Photo 24. 
sources
http://www.wikiznanie.ru/ru-wz/index.php/%D0%A3%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B5_ %D1%81%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BA%D0%BB%D0%BE
http://nuclearpeace.jimdo.com/%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B4%D0%B8%D0%BE%D0%B0%D0%BA%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%B2 %D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B5-%D0%B7%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B6%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B5/ %D1%8D%D1%82%D0%BE-%D0%B8%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B5%D1%81%D0%BD%D0%BE/ %D1%83%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B5-%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BA% D0%BB%D0%BE/
http://antique-expert.com/content/%D1%83%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B5-%D1%81% D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BA%D0%BB%D0%BE-%D1%87%D1%82%D0%BE-%D1%8D%D1%82%D0%BE-%D1%82 %D0%B0%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B5
Let's find out more or The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy is made -Green glass can be made in various ways, differ in its characteristics and properties. It is used in the manufacture of various glass structures, in construction and architectural solutions, by designers to implement not ordinary ideas. Green glass finds its end customer and there is always a demand for this color. Zavod Stekla LLC works with all types of green glass, so you will find what you need with us.
One of the options for making green glass is to add colored molecules to the mass of glass during its melting. This version of a greenish tint can only be carried out in the factory and on specialized equipment. After manufacturing, such a glass sheet will have a green color when translucent and perfectly refract the sun's rays. The thicknesses of such glass sheets are limited, so the main ones are produced - 6, 8 and 10 mm.
Green glass with the help of lacobel burning technology is a relatively new direction, but hundreds of our customers have already managed to interest. This process of coloring a glass sheet is considered the most resistant, because the paint melts and combines with the glass structure, but you have to pay for quality. The glass sheet is dyed in several shades of green on one side of the sheet. Green glass is considered deaf, it is impossible to see anything through it, so this type is not suitable for everyone. Glass is especially popular in the manufacture of facades for the kitchen, plain skinali, wall decoration, where there is an average humidity.
Coloring under green color can be more budgetary, but also diverse. When using UV printing on green glass, it is possible to realize a lot of ideas. Such painting is applied on specialized equipment and laminated on top for additional protection and giving brightness to the color. Like the lakobel painting technology, the glass will be deaf. You can choose any RAL color and use it on your glass. The advantage of UV printing is that you can apply any pattern, so you can choose green forest, grass, green apples, cut kiwi, etc.
The last option for green glass is a sticker on a green tinted glass sheet. When choosing a tint, you yourself can choose the degree of light transmission, thereby choosing the best option for yourself. After applying the tinting, the glass will be held by the film, thereby becoming stronger to mechanical damage and, of course, safer.
Choose the option that suits you, or consult with our specialist on a free, hotline 8-800-2222-547. Our experts will definitely tell you about all the subtleties and advantages of green glass and orient you in the right direction.
Uranium glass, vaseline, canary - these are the names of products with the addition of uranium oxides as a dye. Radioactive items? How did it happen that household products were produced using the 92nd element (according to the periodic table of D. I. Mendeleev), the same as for the atomic bomb? It turns out that glass is extremely dangerous? Or is it still not?
What is uranium and its oxides?
The German chemist Martin Heinrich Klaproth in 1789 obtained a "new metal" from a black mineral mined in the Joachimstal mines in Bohemia (modern Czech Republic), calling it uranium. He sincerely thought that it was pure metal - he did not begin to check this assumption in modern conditions. Why "uranium"?
Just eight years earlier, in 1871, Frederick William Herschel (a German astronomer working in England) discovered a new planet in the solar system - the seventh. It is fifteen times the mass of the Earth. Herschel named it Uranus in honor of the ancient Greek mythological all-powerful spouse of Gaia (Earth).
Only fifty years later, in 1841, the French chemist Eugene Peligot proved that the "new, eighteenth metal" obtained by Klaproth was an oxide (composed of oxygen). Peligo received pure metal, but it was not he who entered the history of the discovery of uranium, but Klaproth.
For almost half a century before 1896, uranium was not in demand in metallurgy, and only after the discovery of the radioactivity property of this element did scientists show interest in it. But until 1939, when the results of nuclear fission experiments were published, they were mined only to obtain radioactive radium.
Historical details
The use of natural uranium oxide in Europe dates back to the first century BC: fragments of pottery covered with yellow glaze were found during excavations in Pompeii.
During archaeological work in Italy at Cape Posilippo in 1912, yellow mosaic pieces were found. Colored glass in its composition contained one percent uranium oxide. This find dates back to 79 AD.
For the production of enamels and mosaic glass of this period, ores were brought to Europe from Africa.
According to written sources from China that have come down to us, local glassblowers experimented in the 16th and 17th centuries with the addition of uranium ores to give colored shades to glass. Uranium glass products from this period have not yet been found.
Natural metal oxides, which often accompanied the extraction of silver ores in Europe, were noticed by glassblowers - attempts to change the color of glass were made by them for a very long time.
Uranium glass: the beginning of a magnificent procession through the countries
The silver mines of the Habsburgs, located in Bohemia, abounded in natural ores of uranium - pitchblende (uraninite). And, of course, glassworkers have always wanted to use natural dye to get colored products.
The representative of the third generation of the famous Riedel dynasty of masters, Franz Xaver Anton, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, experimented with filling the color of glass products. It was successful to add uranium oxides to the charge, the result was a shade from yellow to deep green, and uranium glass glowed greenish under the rays of the rising and setting sun, which gave it a certain magical mystery.
Since 1830, the dynastic successor Josef Riedel (Franz's nephew, who married his daughter), having studied the experimental data of his father-in-law, established a high-tech production of yellow (different shades), green (up to the darkest) and ruby uranium glass. Until 1848 (the year of Josef Riedel's death), the output of products - vases, glasses, glasses, vials, buttons, beads - only increased.
At the same time, the English masters presented two colored uranium glass candlesticks as a gift to their Queen Victoria, which is documented. This fact suggests that not only in the Czech Republic, but also in England, craftsmen worked out a new recipe for staining glass products.
Uranium Glass Items: Mass Production
Increasing production volumes throughout Europe (France, the Netherlands, Belgium, England) made glass popular and fashionable. In the Czech Republic alone, at the factories of Joachimstal in Bohemia, until 1898, more than 1600 tons of all kinds of uranium glass products were produced.
Since 1830, the Gusevsky plant in Russia also began to produce similar products.
Yellow and green uranium glass was comparatively inexpensive. For its release, a barium and calcium mixture was used with the addition of potassium and boron, which gave a more intense glow.
Until 1896, by A. A. Becquerel), no one limited the extraction and use of uranium ores, there was only an increase in order to isolate radium from them.
Peculiarities
Uranium glass, when absorbing UV rays, transfers energy to another region of the radiation spectrum - green. Moreover, this secondary radiation is scattered without continuing the incident beam. This property is called fluorescence. Not all painted yellow and green products have this feature, but only uranium glass. Photos of items under UV light prove the authenticity and collectible value of the items.
Dangerous neighborhood?
Highly fluorescent uranium glass should contain 0.3 to 6% uranium oxides. An increase in concentration reduces the glow, as well as the content of lead in the charge, but increases radioactivity (radiation).
Master glassblowers, like everyone else until 1939, were unaware of the toxicity of uranium and its radiation hazard. Direct contact with the ores, a long stay with them in dangerous proximity led to frequent incomprehensible diseases, often ending in the death of the masters.
But uranium glass products were distributed all over the world, and no one felt any discomfort and did not get sick, being next to them. Why?
The radiation level of products made of uranium glass is low - from 20 to 1500 μR-/hour, the allowable background limit is 30 μR/hour. This means that if there are objects made of uranium glass nearby, then you have to stand near them continuously for more than ten years in order to get radiation sickness.
Termination of uranium glass production
Until the outbreak of World War II, uranium was not of interest to physicists. Only in 1939, when a model of a chain reaction was developed with the release of an enormous amount of energy, did a model of a nuclear bomb begin to be developed based on uranium. And then developed deposits of uranium ores were required.
The production of uranium glass did not cease until almost the 1950s.
All uranium deposits in all countries were taken into account, and in England, not only raw materials, but also finished products were seized from the producers of "vaseline glass".
To date, uranium glass is produced in minimal quantities in the United States and the Czech Republic. Uranium glass utensils, like other products, are used as dyes obtained during the enrichment of uranium. At the same time, it becomes quite expensive, while it remains quite popular.
How to identify uranium glass?
If you carefully review the stocks of old (USSR) dishes in grandmother's sideboards, in the country house, in the attic, you can find yellow or green transparent dishes, which, perhaps, will glow in the rays of the early sun. Artifacts can be yellow or green salt shakers, ashtrays, vases, glasses, buttons, beads, even old green door (window) handles.
Flea markets have all of the above. By bargaining, you can become the owner of delightful rarities.
To make sure that these are objects made of uranium glass, you need to use a UV lamp and this is the only way real collectors do it.
Uranium Antiques
Due to the fact that uranium glass was mass-produced, a large number of yellow and green items were preserved among the population. In some cases, they are of historical interest, sometimes - antique, collectible.
The uranium glass vases featured in the catalogs of galleries in many countries are made in different styles, from Biedermeier (nineteenth century) to Art Deco (twentieth).
Collectors are also interested in figurines of animals and birds made of uranium glass, bottles and goblets, tableware - plates, saucers, saucers, glasses, wine sets.
Uranium products in the USA
In English-speaking countries, uranium glass began to be called "vaseline" in the twentieth century due to the similarity of color with the common ointment of the same name. Glass, except for transparent yellow and green, has subspecies - carnival (with multi-colored inserts), Depression glass (all products, regardless of style, released in the USA in the years custard (opaque pale yellow), jadeite (opaque pale green), Burmese (opaque with shades of pale pink to yellow).
Where else have uranium ore additives been used?
Na 2 U 2 O 7 - sodium uranate - was used by painters as a yellow pigment. For painting porcelain and ceramics (glaze, enamels) in black, brown, green and yellow, uranium oxides of various oxidation states were used. Uranyl nitrate was used early in the twentieth century in photography to enhance the negatives and to tint the positives brown.
The amazingly beautiful uranium glass, which has rich yellow-green, brown and emerald green colors, has been known since ancient times. As far back as the Late Middle Ages, uranium-containing dyes mined in the Habsburg silver mines in Bohemia were used to mass-produce glass ornaments, goblets and vases that glowed with bizarre light. But the old glass makers knew how to keep secrets, and uranium glass got its dawn in the 19th century, when the recipe for its melting was discovered.
First uranium glass
Cases of tinting glass with uranium compounds have been known since ancient times. A well-preserved ancient tile with inserts of yellow glass smalt was found in 1922 during archaeological research of the Roman villa Posillipo (Italy). As shown by isotopic analysis, the glass was made in 79 BC and contained about 1% uranium dioxide. The find caused a lot of controversy, since large-scale production of uranium glass began in the middle of the 19th century. It turns out that the ancient technology was lost for eighteen centuries.
What is uranium glass?
Colored uranium glass is obtained by adding uranium salts and oxides to silicate glass. Glassmakers used uranium compounds to melt transparent glass in yellow-green, emerald and brown colors. However, the manufacturing technology was not widely known due to the fact that the recipes were kept in strict confidence and passed down from generation to generation.
Today! For the manufacture of glass of various shades, a few percent are added to the charge:
yellow sodium diuranate Na2U2O7*H20;
orange uranium trioxide UO3;
brown uranium oxide UO2;
dark green mixed oxide U3O8 (tar pitch).
By varying the temperature, a different degree of glass transparency is achieved. Intense yellow and orange shades were obtained by adding cadmium sulfide to the dyes.
Stained glass Riedel
Starting from the 1830s, the Riedel dynasty from the city of Unter Polau in Bohemia (Czech Republic) began an active production of colored glass based on uranium salts. Josef Riedel managed to obtain a beautiful green and yellow-green glass that could mysteriously glow in the dark, which he named “annagrün” and “annagelb” after his wife, respectively. He was the first to establish the industrial production of glass jewelry: beads, bracelets, earrings, as well as glasses, goblets and vases. The Riedel factory was located in Dolni Polubny and produced these types of uranium glass for almost 20 years - from 1830 to 1848. From that time, a boom in products made from uranium glass began, which would last until 1940
"Canary" glass
This was the name of uranium glass of a beautiful golden yellow color, which was brewed by English and French craftsmen. It really resembled the color of canaries in shade, for which it received such an unusual name. Since 1830, canary glass has also been brewed in Russia at the Imperial Glass Factory in St. Petersburg. Ten years later, the company began to produce green glass products, which were faceted or colorfully painted with enamels and gold. Their competitors, the merchants Maltsevs, quickly found a way out and replaced expensive uranium dyes with cheap copper sulphate, which also dyed glass green.
Vaseline glass (vaselineglass)
This was the name of yellowish uranium glass, reminiscent of petroleum jelly, which appeared in the late 19th century in the United States. It was obtained by adding 2% uranium dye and temperature-sensitive additives to the charge. After double heating of the product, it became milky white at the edges with a smooth transition to a lemon yellow tint.
Vaseline glass formed the basis of the Perline dishware line: cups, plates, salad bowls in rich yellow, green and brown colors, produced by Davidson'sglass in England. Due to the fact that uranium was scarce and expensive during the Cold War, the production of dishes was curtailed. Latest models dishes under the Perlin brand were registered in 1903. Today, vaseline glass products are not produced and have become a collector's item.
Vaseline glass from depleted uranium was used to make costume jewelry in the 1950s after restrictions on the use of uranium dyes were lifted. But production has not become widespread due to the high cost of uranium oxides and due to the introduced standards regarding protective clothing for workers, protection of storage facilities and constant monitoring of the level of radiation background at the enterprise.
Today, only two companies, Boyd Glass and Fenton Art Glass, are producing limited edition uranium glass items in the United States that are more of a collector's item. Companies use a type of frosted uranium glass called Burmese glass or Burmese. It is characterized by a matte shade, smoothly turning into yellow or pink.
Rise of glass tinted with uranium
The maximum number of uranium glass products occurred in the period from 1920 to 1940, when art deco reigned in art. During this time, more than 260 tons of uranium dyes were produced, half of which went to the production of various products: jewelry, dishes, tiles, buttons, household items and decor.
At that time, the English firms BAGLEY and DAVIDSON became the largest factories for the production of uranium glass products. Their products were distinguished by original finishes achieved by matting with hydrofluoric acid, crystal cutting and etching. Production ceased with the outbreak of World War II, as all uranium stocks were confiscated for the war effort.
At the end of hostilities, production resumed, but was switched to depleted uranium, which contains less uranium-235 and is 2-3 less active than natural uranium compounds. Currently, opal glass is not produced, being a collectible and antique value.
How to distinguish uranium glass?
Uranium glass can be distinguished from ordinary glass in two ways:
Beautiful yellow-green fluorescence under ultraviolet light.
Due to the high refractive index, uranium glass begins to glow with a bright yellow-green color when exposed to ultraviolet light. But not all uranium-containing glasses have this property. Compositions with a uranium content of more than 20% lose their ability to luminesce and can only be identified by the radiation they emit.
Ionizing radiation.
Uranium glass emits ionizing radiation, which can be detected by a common household dosimeter. Its value depends on what kind of uranium was added in the manufacture of glass - natural or dinner, and in what percentage. The latter contains two times less uranium radionuclides than in natural compounds, and can be a weak source of alpha particles. With a mass fraction of uranium up to 6%, the products give gamma radiation, slightly higher than the natural background, and beta radiation, which exceeds the norm by dozens of times.
Uranium glass: dangerous or not?
The danger of glass directly depends on the origin, composition and age of the product. A detailed analysis of the radiation exposure of uranium dishes was carried out by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. There are three routes of exposure to radiation associated with Vaseline glass:
body exposure to gamma rays emitted by uranium radionuclides;
the effect of beta particles on the skin of the hands;
absorption of uranium leached by food in contact with glass.
Although uranium glassware emits ionizing radiation comparable to readings from natural background radiation, experts do not recommend storing uranium glassware together or placing it behind glass cabinet doors that trap beta radiation.
And of course, do not use such dishes for food purposes, since uranium is able to leach out of glass and enter the body with food. Studies carried out during the day showed that the leaching of uranium by water is minimal, and by acetic acid - 30 µg/l. Given that it is toxic and binds to proteins, disrupting their function, and inhibits the activity of enzymes, the kidneys are primarily affected.
