What Are the Properties of Boron?

About 200 BC, ancient Egypt, Rome, and Babylon used borax to make glass and weld gold. French chemist Guy Lussac used elemental potassium to reduce boric acid to make elemental boron. The content of boron in the earth's crust is 0.001%. Boron is a black or silver-gray solid. The crystalline boron is black, second only to diamond in hardness, and relatively brittle in texture.

Boron accounts for about 0.001% of the earth's crust composition. Its main ore in nature is

1.First use concentrated

Boron makes life

Boron is essential for the formation of ribonucleic acid, which is an important building block of life. "Stephen may be important for the origin of life on Earth because it stabilizes nucleic acids, which are important components of ribonucleic acid. In early life, RNA is considered a precursor of DNA. " ^[6]

Boron industrial uses

Boron is a widely used chemical raw material mineral. It is mainly used for the production of various compounds of borax, boric acid and boron, as well as elemental boron. Important raw materials. At present, boron has more than 300 uses, of which the glass industry, ceramics industry, detergents and agricultural fertilizers are the main uses of boron, accounting for about 3/4 of the global boron consumption. Although China's boron ore resources are abundant, boron ore products cannot meet the needs of domestic economic construction. In 2007, the domestic borax production was about 400,000 tons, and the imported boron ore products were 648,700 tons. It seems quite important.

Elemental boron is used as a good reducing agent, oxidizing agent, brominating agent, organic synthetic blending material, high-voltage high-frequency electric and plasma arc insulators, radar transmission windows, etc.

Boron is a trace alloy element. Boron is an effective neutron shielding material when combined with plastic or aluminum alloy. Boron steel is used as a control rod in the reactor. Boron fiber is used to make composite materials. Boron-containing additives can improve sintering in the metallurgical industry. The quality of the ore reduces the melting point, reduces expansion, and improves strength and hardness. Boron and its compounds are also co-solvents for the metallurgical industry and raw materials for smelting boron-iron-boron steel. Adding titanium boride, lithium boride, and nickel boride can smelt heat-resistant special alloys; building materials. Borates and borides are important components of enamel, ceramics, and glass. They have good heat and wear resistance, can enhance gloss, and improve surface finish. ^[7]

Boric acid and zinc borate can be used in the insulation material of fire-resistant fiber. It is a very good flame retardant and also used in bleaching and mordant. Sodium metaborate is used in fabric bleaching. In addition, boron and its compounds can be used in paint desiccants, soldering agents, and mercury-containing wastewater treatment agents in the paper industry. ^[8]

Boron exists as a trace element in quartz ore. In the purification process of high-purity quartz sand, how to reduce the B content as much as possible becomes the key to the process. The existence of B makes the melting point of quartz lower, and the number of times of use of the prepared quartz crucible is reduced, which increases the production cost of single crystal silicon.

Boron physiological function

The scientific community about the absorption and metabolism of boron is not fully understood. Boron is easily absorbed in the diet and is mostly excreted by the urine. It is combined with oxygen in the blood and is HBO or B (OH) . Boric acid and organic compounds The hydroxyl group forms an ester. The boron content in the blood of animals and humans is very low, and it is related to the intake of magnesium in the diet. When the magnesium intake is low, the boron content in the blood increases. Boron can accumulate in bone, but it is not clear what form it is.

Boron is commonly found in fruits and vegetables and is one of the trace elements required to maintain bone health and the normal metabolism of calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium. It is effective for preventing calcium loss and preventing osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Boron deficiency will aggravate vitamin D deficiency. On the other hand, boron can also help increase testosterone secretion and strengthen muscles in men. Nutrients. Boron also has the effect of improving brain function and improving reaction ability. Although most people are not deficient in boron, it is necessary for the elderly to pay proper attention to intake.

The physiological function of boron has not yet been determined. Two hypotheses exist to explain the apparent and different reactions that occur when boron is deficient, as well as the known biochemical properties of boron. One hypothesis is that boron is a metabolic regulator that controls many metabolic pathways by competitively inhibiting the response of some key enzymes. The other is that boron has the effect of maintaining the stability of the cell membrane function. Therefore, it can affect the membrane's response to hormones and other regulatory substances by adjusting the transmembrane signal or movement of regulatory anions or cations.

Boron plant physiology

Boron is an essential element unique to higher plants, but animals, fungi and bacteria do not need boron. Boron can be combined with sugar in the free state, which makes it easy for sugar to cross the plasma membrane and promotes sugar transportation. The boron content was highest in the organs of the plant, and the stigma and ovary were the highest in the flower. Boron has an important effect on the reproductive process of plants and is closely related to pollen formation, pollen tube germination and fertilization. When boron is deficient, the anthers and filaments shrink and pollen is underdeveloped. Rapeseed and wheat's "floral but not fruit" phenomenon is related to boric acid deficiency in plants. When boron deficiency, the growth points of the root tips and shoot tips stopped growing, a large number of lateral roots and lateral buds occurred, and the growth points of the rear lateral roots and lateral buds died again, forming clusters. Brown rot of sugar beet, potato leaf curl and apple fruit shrinkage are all caused by boron deficiency. ^[9]