

Boron occurs naturally in the form of two stable isotopes, namely B10 and B11. Located in the 3A group of the periodic table, boron is a semiconductor metalloid.

It can be used to produce green fire and is added as a common colorant in fireworks. Element atomic number 5 burns with a green flame.Because it is an excellent neutron absorber, it is used in nuclear reactor control rods. Boron is added to steel and other alloys. Boron is used in super hard materials, magnets, nuclear reactor shielding, semiconductors, to make borosilicate glassware, in ceramics, insecticides, disinfectants, cleaners, cosmetics, and many other products.It is a derivative of streptomycin and is called boromycin. The amorphous phase of boron is reactive, while crystalline boron is not reactive.Boron appears to have been formed by nuclear fusion from cosmic ray collisions, before the solar system was formed. While many elements are produced via nuclear fusion inside stars, boron is not among them.Crystalline boron is the second hardest element, following carbon.Boron has the highest melting point and boiling point of the metalloids.In 1909 Ezekiel Weintraub isolated nearly pure element number 5. In 1808, boron was partially purified by Sir Humphry Davy and also by Joseph L.Element atomic number 5 is rare in the solar system. Yet, pure boron is extremely difficult to produce and the element abundance is only 0.001% of the Earth's crust. Over a hundred minerals contain boron and it is found in several compounds, including boric acid, borax, borates, kernite, and ulexite.

Element number 5 is present in the cell walls of all plants, so plants, as well as any animal that eats plants, contain boron.Boron exhibits properties of either metals or nonmetals, depending on the conditions.Eleven isotopes, with masses 7 to 17 are known. Natural boron consists of a mix of two stable isotopes: boron-10 and boron-11. A boron atom has 5 protons and 5 electrons.The word was used to describe borax, one of the boron compounds known to ancient man. The element name boron comes from the Arabic word buraq, which means white.Boron compounds form the basis for the classic slime recipe, which polymerizes the compound borax.
