{"id":341,"date":"2020-04-09T11:15:18","date_gmt":"2020-04-09T11:15:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thechemicalelements.com\/?page_id=341"},"modified":"2023-08-15T11:23:19","modified_gmt":"2023-08-15T11:23:19","slug":"boron","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thechemicalelements.com\/boron\/","title":{"rendered":"Boron (B)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Boron is a metalloid with an atomic number of 5 in the periodic table of elements<\/a>. It’s found in an amount of 0.00086 percent in the Earth\u2019s crust. Being a member of the boron family of periodic table elements, this chemical substance has three valence electrons. While boron is labeled as a non-metalic element, the other chemical elements of the boron family are classified as post-transition metals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Chemical and Physical Properties of Boron<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Property<\/strong><\/td>Value<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Symbol of Boron<\/td>B<\/td><\/tr>
Name<\/td>Boron<\/td><\/tr>
Atomic number<\/td>5<\/td><\/tr>
Group of Boron<\/td>Non-Metal<\/td><\/tr>
Crystal Structure of Boron<\/td>Rhombohedral<\/td><\/tr>
Atomic weight (mass)<\/td>10.811<\/td><\/tr>
Shells of Boron<\/td>2,3<\/td><\/tr>
Orbitals of Boron<\/td>[He] 2s2 2p1<\/td><\/tr>
Valence of Boron<\/td>3<\/td><\/tr>
Color<\/td>Dark-brown to black (powder) or silvery-gray, lustrous element resembling metal<\/td><\/tr>
Physical state<\/td>Solid (metalloid)<\/td><\/tr>
Half-life<\/td>From 17.35 ms to 770 ms<\/td><\/tr>
Electronegativity according to Pauling<\/td>2.04<\/td><\/tr>
Density<\/td>2.34 g\/cm\u00b3<\/td><\/tr>
Melting point<\/td>2450<\/td><\/tr>
Boiling point<\/td>3931.15<\/td><\/tr>
Van der Waals radius<\/td>0.098 nm<\/td><\/tr>
Ionic radius<\/td>.23 (+3) \u00c5<\/td><\/tr>
Covalent Radius of Boron<\/td>0.82 \u00c5<\/td><\/tr>
Atomic Radius of Boron<\/td>1.17 \u00c5<\/td><\/tr>
Atomic Volume of Boron<\/td>04.6 cm\u00b3\/mol<\/td><\/tr>
Name Origin of Boron<\/td>From Arabic and Persian words for borax<\/td><\/tr>
Discovered of Boron By<\/td>Sir H. Davy, J.L. Gay-Lussac, L.J. Th\u00e9nard<\/td><\/tr>
Year<\/td>1808<\/td><\/tr>
Location<\/td>England\/France<\/td><\/tr>
Pronounced of Boron<\/td>BO-ron<\/td><\/tr>
Oxydation States of Boron<\/td>3<\/td><\/tr>
Uses of Boron<\/td>Used with titanium & tungsten to make heat resistant alloys for jets & rockets<\/td><\/tr>
Description of Boron<\/td>Allotropic forms include diamonds and graphite. Sixth most abundant element in the universe<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

With the periodic table symbol (B), atomic number 5, atomic mass of 10.81 g.mol -1, and electronic configuration [He] 2s<\/span>2<\/span>2p<\/span>1<\/span>, boron is a substance that comes in several forms, among which the powder or the solid metal-like form are its most common occurrences. In its pure form, boron is able to transmit infrared light. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boron is a very hard substance and has good conducting properties at high temperatures, but cannot conduct electricity at standard temperatures. It reaches its boiling point at 3927 \u00b0C, while the melting point of this chemical element is achieved at 2076 \u00b0C. This member of the boron family of elements in the periodic table has an electronegativity of X according to Pauling, whereas the atomic radius according to van der Waals is 0.098 nm.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How Was Boron Discovered?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This chemical element has been known by the Egyptians, Tibetans, Arabians, and the Chinese for thousands of years before its official modern-times discovery. The deposits of crystallized boron located at Lake Yamdrok Cho in Tibet were the main source of borax for hundreds of years before boron was isolated and recognized as a chemical element. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this way, the ancient civilizations have been familiar with the properties and use of this chemical element long before its lab formulation performed by Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac, Louis Jacques Th\u00e9nard, and Sir Humphry Davy. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1808, the French chemists Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac (1778 – 1850) and Louis-Jaques Th\u00e9nard (1777 – 1857) and the British chemist and inventor Sir Humphrey Davy (1778 – 1829) have tried to isolate boron in their respective experiments that aimed to trigger a reaction between boric acid and sodium<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, their efforts resulted only in a compound with a high percentage of boron (around 70-80%). But then Louis Jacques Th\u00e9nard tried to trigger a reaction between potassium<\/a> and boric acid, and with this chemical experiment, he succeeded in isolating a brand new chemical element that was labeled as boracium.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1824, the Swedish chemist J\u00f6ns Jakob Berzelius managed to isolate boron and identify its properties as a chemical element. Half a century later, after boron was isolated from its compounds, it was produced only in an impure form. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This chemical element wasn\u2019t under the spotlight until the 20th century, when in 1909 the American chemist Ezekiel W. Weintraub succeeded in producing boron in its pure form by triggering a reducing reaction between boron halides and hydrogen<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How Did Boron Get Its Name?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The name of this chemical element with characteristic dark-gray to black, glittery color comes from the arabic word \u201c<\/span>buraq<\/span><\/i> – \u0628\u0648\u0631\u0642\u201d, used as a reference to the chemical compound borax, and the Latin word \u201c<\/span>carbo<\/span><\/i>\u201d, meaning \u201ccoal\u201d, that refers to the physical appearance of this chemical element of the periodic table.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Where Can You Find Boron?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Traces of this element can be located in stardust and meteorites where it\u2019s produced by the impact of cosmic rays on the cosmic materials. This process is defined as the x-process. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Volcanic springs sometimes contain traces of boric acid. Since it cannot be found in free elemental form on Earth<\/a>, boron is mostly extracted from compounds, such as borax, colemanite, ulexite, or kernite. However, the use of the colemanite ore has been brought to a minimum due to the arsenic<\/a> traces in it. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The largest boron deposits have been located in Turkey, which is the biggest boron producer in the world (together with the United States). The Adirondack region of northern New York State is also rich in boron-bearing minerals.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Boron in the Human Body<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Together with vanadium<\/a>, boron is one of the trace elements that supports our health. Together with vitamin K, boron supports bone health by preventing the loss of calcium<\/a>. Between 1870 and 1920, and again during World War II, this mineral was used as a food preservative.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Role of Boron In Human Nutrition<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As a supplement, boron supports the brain function and its cognitive abilities. Furthermore, boron supplementation is used for increasing athletic performance and the building of muscle mass in male bodybuilders due to its ability to raise testosterone levels. It\u2019s also considered that boron intake can ease the adverse effects of chemotherapy. In combination with chromium<\/a> and vanadium, boron is thought to have effects on weight loss. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A <\/span>clinical trial<\/span><\/a> entitled as \u201c”Effect of dietary boron on mineral, estrogen, and testosterone metabolism in postmenopausal women”. FASEB J. 1 (5): 394\u20137.\u201d analyses the effects of dietary boron on mineral, estrogen, and testosterone metabolism in postmenopausal women. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The research confirmed the fact that postmenopausal women are among the ones who also benefit from an additional intake of boron since it increases the estrogen levels, thus easing the postmenopausal symptoms that typically cause dyscomfort. The credits for this trial are awarded to Nielsen FH, Hunt CD, Mullen LM, and Hunt JR. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In another <\/span>study<\/span><\/a>, Naghii MR, et al. (2011) prove the importance of boron as a trace mineral. This study confirms the vital role this mineral has in the evolution of life on Earth, by being an essential part of the metabolic processes in all living beings – humans, animals, and plants.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boron supplementation can also increase the Vitamin D-3 serum levels in patients with depleted cholecalciferol. However, prior to any supplement intake, please consult a healthcare provider nearby for more detailed information on the health benefits and hazards related to the supplement.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kashin-Beck Disease Related to Boron Deficiency<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Boron deficiency, combined with germanium<\/a> and molybdenum<\/a> deficiency, may lead to Kashin-Beck disease. It\u2019s a chronic and degenerative disease of the joints and bones that mostly affects the people of Tibet, China, North Korea, and Siberia. The symptoms experienced by the affected individuals include:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n