Glasses having chemical composition based on Hench's bioglass (R) and with some substituted oxides were prepared and crystallized through thermal treatments. These glasses and corresponding glass-ceramics were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) either through absorption or reflection studies. Chemical corrosion of the prepared glassy and crystalline samples as grains was examined by the action of 0.1 M HCl or NaOH solutions or by distilled water. Also, UV-vis absorption measurements were carried out before and after successive gamma rays to reveal their response to ionizing radiation. The formation of hydroxyapatite layer was checked by FTIR studies and X-ray diffraction experiments which show that the crystalline soda lime silicate phase (1Na(2)O center dot 2CaO center dot 3SiO(2)) is separated as the main phase in all tested glasses beside some secondary phases depending on the introduced substituted oxide. The corrosion behavior was found to vary depending on the type of the introduced oxides and their ability to freely ion exchange and dissolve in the leaching solution. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.