American Scientist

To the Editors:

Ainissa Ramirez’s paean to borosilicate glass (“The Chemical History of Superior Glass,” May–June) delighted this retired laboratory worker, raising the temperature of questions that have been percolating in my mind. After more than half a century, I still treasure my borosilicate glass Pyrex kettle. The current Pyrex manufacturer’s claim that their soda lime glass cookware is superior to the original borosilicate formulation is at odds with Corning’s own experiments on thermal shock.

We Pyrex lovers must raise an outcry at the threatened demise of stove top cooking in glass. Where is the wiggle room as oncoming regulations phase out natural gas in favor of glass-unfriendly induction cooktops?

Jeff Freeman
Rahway, NJ