Chemistry World Blog

British archaeologists have revealed the secret of the exceptionally heat-resistant crucibles that were exported all over the world from Hesse, now in modern Germany, by the 15th century. Successful Hessian manufacturers of the time were cheerfully unaware of the science behind their internationally renowned mixing vessels. But the secret, we now know, was mullite: a material widely used in modern ceramics, first described in the 20th century.