Boron is readily available in large deposits of water-soluble borates in arid areas. Boron compounds have many commercial uses in industry, medicine, and household products. Boron-10 is used in cancer treatment and as a shielding material in nuclear reactors. Boron nitride has promising electronic applications.
Boron, while not one of the most common elements on Earth as a whole, exists in the form of large deposits of easily accessible boron ores in a number of areas, making it readily available. Usually, these deposits occur in arid areas and contain the element in the form of water-soluble borates. Elemental boron has few commercial applications, but the uses of boron compounds, such as borates, are many and varied. They are found in industrial processes, manufactured products and medicine.
One of the earliest uses of boron, in the form of borates, was in ceramics, where it combined with silicates to form a hard, transparent glaze. Today one of the most important uses of boron is in the production of borosilicate glass. This type of glass is known to experience very little expansion when heated. It is therefore unlikely to break if subjected to rapid heating or cooling and is ideal for use in laboratory glassware and cookware. A well-known glassware brand is particularly associated with these applications.
Boron is an essential element for plants and can be added in small amounts to fertilizers for use in boron-deficient areas; too much boron, however, is toxic. Its role, if any, in animals has not been clearly identified. The element enters metabolism through ingested food, usually in the form of borates, and although there are no known cases of boron deficiency in humans, it may be required in trace amounts. Numerous benefits have been claimed for dietary boron supplements, but the evidence to support these is inconclusive.
Boron compounds have low toxicity to humans and other mammals, but are highly toxic to many insects, especially ants and cockroaches. A number of commercial insecticides contain boric acid or other boron compounds. Boric acid is also widely used as an antiseptic, eye drop and as a treatment for some yeast infections. It is a very weak acid and does not cause skin or eye irritation.
Another of boron’s uses in medicine is in a cancer treatment known as Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT). Treatment involves introducing the stable isotope boron-10 into the cancer cells. This isotope of boron can absorb neutrons which cause it to produce an alpha particle and a lithium ion. These particles carry a lot of energy, but they don’t travel far; all of their energy is released within the target cell, damaging it, but leaving adjacent cells unharmed. It is therefore possible to destroy tumors by adding boron-10 to a compound that is more easily absorbed by cancer cells, then bombarding the tumor with neutrons.
In industry, one of the major uses of boron is in abrasives and cutting tools. Two compounds of boron, boron carbide (B4C) and boron nitride (BN) are notable for their extreme hardness. Boron nitride resembles carbon in that it can have a graphite-like hexagonal shape and also a diamond-like structure. The hexagonal shape is used in lubricants. Like carbon, it can also be made into nanotubes and nanoribbons, whose electrical, magnetic and optical properties show much promise for various electronic applications.
Boron-10, due to its ability to absorb neutrons without forming radioactive isotopes, is used for shielding purposes in nuclear reactors. Neodymium magnets also contain boron. Borates are used in numerous household cleaning and laundry products to soften hard water, in flame retardants, and as a green flame dye in fireworks and emergency flares.
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