Borax

Borax General Systematic name Sodium tetraborate decahydrate Molecular formula Na2B4O7·10H2O Molar mass 381.37 g/mol Appearance white solid CAS number [1303-96-4] Properties Density and phase 1.73 g/cm3, solid Solubility in water 5.1 g/100 ml (20 °C) Melting point 75 °C Boiling point 320 °C Basicity (pKb) see text Structure Coordination geometry  ? Crystal structure  ? Thermodynamic data Std enthalpy of formation ΔfHo298 −3276.75 kJ/mol Standard molar entropy So298 189.53 J·K−1·mol−1 Hazards MSDS External MSDS EU classification not listed Flash point non-flammable Supplementary data page Structure and properties n, εr, etc. Thermodynamic data Phase behaviour Solid, liquid, gas Spectral data UV, IR, NMR, MS Related compounds Other anions Sodium aluminate Sodium gallate Other cations Potassium tetraborate Related compounds Boric acid Sodium perborate Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa) Infobox disclaimer and references Borax, also called sodium borate or sodium tetraborate, is an important boron compound. It is a soft white many-sided crystal that dissolves easily in water. If left exposed to dry air, it slowly loses its water of hydration and become the white chalky mineral tincalconite (Na} |1= }}). Commercially sold borax is usually partially dehydrated. Borax occurs naturally in evaporite deposits produced by the repeated evaporation of seasonal lakes (see playa). The most commercially important deposits are found near Boron, California and other locations in the American southwest, the Atacama desert in Chile, and in Tibet. Borax may also be produced synthetically from other boron compounds. Ronald Reagan advertising borax Borax is widely used in detergents, water softeners, soaps, disinfectants, and pesticides. One of its most widely advertised uses was as a hand-cleaner for industrial workers. It is used in making enamel glazes, glass and strengthening pottery and ceramics. It is also easily converted to boric acid or borate, which have many applications. Large amounts of borax are used for manufacturing insulating fibreglass and cellulose insulation as a fire retardant and anti-fungal compound. Large amounts are also used in production of sodium perborate monohydrate for use in detergents. A mixture of borax and ammonium chloride is used as a flux when welding iron and steel. It lowers the melting point of the unwanted iron oxide (scale), allowing it to run off. Borax is also used mixed with water as a flux when soldering jewelry metals such as gold or silver. It allows the molten solder to flow evenly over the joint in question. When used in a mixture, borax can be used to kill carpenter ants, and fleas. Borax is also an ingredient in Slime. The origin of the name is traceable to the Persian word bürah. The word was also used disparagingly in the 1940s to refer to tawdrily designed modernistic furniture and other works of industrial design. Some say that the use came from advertisement displays for the household clearer, though the use may also derive from the Yiddish word "borachs," meaning rented furniture. Borax is also a food additive in some countries (it is banned in the United States), with E number E285. Its use is similar to salt, and it appears notably in French and Iranian caviar. Such caviar plays a key part in the book "Murder at the British Embassy" by Margaret Truman. See also Sodium boric acid Twenty mule team Francis Marion Smith John Veatch External links International Chemical Safety Card 0567 International Chemical Safety Card 1229 (fused borax) NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards European Chemicals Bureau NIST Chemistry WebBookar:بورق Search Term: "Borax" Categories: Sodium compounds | Borates | Borate minerals | Cleaning products | Cleaning product components | Household chemicals | Food additives

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