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Marco Pagliero

Why aqueous hydroxide is slippery (beyond just saponification)

Dan Zauner  Follow

Glass itself is soluble in strong alkalis, forming sodium silicate solution, which is a syrupy, somewhat slippery-feeling substance. You can use sodium silicate to make a fire-resistant coating or high-temperature cement.

As you state, it's also possible the glove itself is being attacked. If the glass feels slippery in $\ce{NaOH}$ and $\ce{KOH}$ solutions, but not in $\ce{NH4OH}$, then it is most likely a silicate forming, though.

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