·
Linear Formula Na2B4O7
·
Molecular Weight 201.22
Borax, also known as sodium borate, sodium
tetraborate, or disodium tetraborate, is an important boron compound, a mineral, and a salt of boric acid. Powdered
borax is white, consisting of soft colorless crystals that dissolve easily in
water.
Detailed description
Uses
Household products
Borax is used in various household laundry and
cleaning products,[14] including
the "20 Mule Team Borax" laundry booster and "Boraxo" powdered hand soap. Despite its name,
"Borateem" laundry bleach no longer contains borax or other boron
compounds. Borax is also present in some tooth bleaching formulas.[15]
pH buffer
Sodium borate is used in biochemical and chemical laboratories
to make buffers, e.g. for gel electrophoresis of DNA, such as TBE or the newer SB buffer or BBS (borate buffered saline) in coating procedures. Borate buffers (usually at pH 8) are
also used as preferential equilibration solution in dimethyl pimelimidate (DMP)
based crosslinking reactions.
Co-complexing agent
Borax as a source of borate has been used to take advantage of the
co-complexing ability of borate with other agents in water to form complex ions
with various substances. Borate and a suitable polymer bed are used
to chromatograph non-glycosylatedhemoglobin differentially
from glycosylated hemoglobin (chiefly HbA1c), which is an indicator of long term hyperglycemia in diabetes mellitus.
Water-softening agent
Borax alone does not have a high affinity for the hardness
cations, although it has been used for that purpose. Its chemical equation
for water-softening is given below:
The sodium ions introduced do not make water ‘hard’. This
method is suitable for removing both temporary and permanent types of hardness.
Flux
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.
Borax is also a good flux for "pre-tinning" tungsten with zinc –
making the tungsten soft-solderable.[16] Borax is often
used as a flux for forge welding.
Small-scale gold mining
Borax is replacing mercury as the preferred method
for extracting gold in small-scale mining facilities. The method is called
the borax methodand is used in the Philippines.[17]
Flubber
A rubbery polymer sometimes called Slime, Flubber, gluep or glurch (or
erroneously called Silly Putty, which is based on
silicone polymers), can be made by cross-linking polyvinyl alcohol with borax.
Making flubber from polyvinyl acetate-based glues, such as Elmer's Glue, and borax is a common elementary-science demonstration.[18][19]
Food additive
Borax, given the E number E285,
is used as a food additive in some countries, but is banned in some countries, like
the U.S., and Thailand. As a consequence, certain foods, such as caviar, produced for sale in the US contain higher levels
of salt to assist preservation.[20] Its use as a
cooking ingredient is to add a firm rubbery texture to the food, or as a
preservative. In oriental cooking it is mostly used for its texturing
properties. In Asia, borax (Chinese: 硼砂; pinyin: péng shā or Chinese: 月石; pinyin: yuè shí) was found to have been added
to some Chinese foods like hand-pulled noodles lamian and some rice noodles like shahe fen, kway teow, and chee cheong fun recipes.[21] In Indonesia it is a
common, but forbidden, additive to such foods as noodles, bakso (meatballs),
and steamed rice. The country's Directorate of Consumer Protection warns of the
risk of liver cancer with high consumption over a period of 5–10 years.[22]
Other uses
·
Pulverized for the
prevention of stubborn pests (e.g. German cockroaches)
in closets, pipe and cable inlets, wall panelling gaps, and inaccessible
locations where ordinary pesticides are undesirable
·
Anti-fungal foot soak
·
Precursor for sodium perborate monohydrate that
is used in detergents, as well as for boric acid and other borates
·
Precursor for boric acid, a tackifier ingredient
in polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl alcohol based
adhesives
·
Neutron absorber,
used in nuclear reactors and spent fuel pools to control reactivity and to shut
down a nuclear chain reaction
·
Was traditionally used
to coat dry-cured meats such as hams to protect them from becoming fly-blown during further
storage
·
Used in the treatment or
prevention of wood rot in classic wood boats
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