Li and K silicate glasses produce similar effects, but neither as well or as economically as sodium silicates. Solubility and excessive thermal expansions are, of course, highly undesirable in studio applications. Fortunately there are many substances which act to occupy the weakened oxygens present in alkali-silica glasses. The behavior of the alkaline earths is a bit more complicated than with the alkalies. Each alkaline earth has its own sort of personality.
Lead is of course the heaviest.
We will address the alkaline earths in the next paper.