This article will be devoted to boric acid, which is widely used in various fields of activity and is known to almost every person. The boric acid formula is extremely simple to remember. The article will consider the general characteristics and properties of boric acid, its scope and nature.
What is boric acid?
The formula of boric acid in chemistry is known to many. She is rather weak in comparison with "colleagues". It is actively used for chemical experiments in schools. The formula of boric acid is H 3 Bo 3 .
Boric acid is a crystalline powder that is colorless and odorless. The molecules of the triclinic layered lattice are interconnected by hydrogen bonds and form flat layers. Thus, the boric acid molecule is built.
The presented substance has weakly expressed properties of acids - it is poorly soluble in water. One of the features is that the property of the acid H
3 Bo
3 gives the addition of the anion of a hydroxyl group. Other acids have the ability to cleave H + proton.
In the formation of boron hydrosulfate B (HSO
4 )
3 , which is very weakly stable, boric acid can exhibit rather weak signs of amphotericity. If the compound is thermally exposed, boric acid will be able to dissolve the oxide metals, resulting in the formation of salts. The formula of our chemical compound in the presence of sulfuric acid in concentrated form can form esters:
| H 3 Bo 3 + 3CH 3 OH → 3H 2 O + B (OCH 3 ) 3 |
During the process of neutralization with alkalis in water solutions, orthoborates containing (BO 3 ) 3 are not formed. This phenomenon is explained by the fact that when neutralized they are almost completely hydrolyzed due to an excessively small amount of the constant [B (OH 3 ) -. As a result of this reaction, salts of polyboric acid begin to form in solution , for example, metaborates, tetraborates, and others:
| 2NaOH + 3H 3 Bo 3 → Na 2 B 4 O 7 + 7H 2 O |
If alkalis are present in excess, then they can go into metabolites:
| 2NaOH + Na 2 B 4 O 7 → 4NaBO 2 + H 2 O |
Both tetra- and metabolites are capable of hydrolysis, but they have a lower degree of propensity in comparison with orthoborates.
Boric acid in nature
Boric acid, the chemical formula of which is H 3 Bo 3 , is often found in nature in almost free form - in the mineral sassoline. Moreover, this acid is part of the water in almost every hot natural spring. A fairly large amount of H 3 Bo 3 is found in underground mineral waters, which are unusually healthy.
Human use of H3Bo3
As mentioned above, the boric acid formula is known to almost everyone. This is due to a rather wide range of its use in everyday life: nuclear physicists, jewelers, electricians, doctors and ordinary citizens - all use boric acid. It is used as an antiseptic and flame retardant. Boric acid protect wood, add it to land fertilizers.
The chemical composition is used as a neutron absorber in nuclear reactors; in medicine, H 3 Bo 3 with a solution with a substance content of two percent is used as an antiseptic to disinfect the surface of the skin.
Photographers use it as a developer of a fine-grained type. With its help, an acidic environment for fixers is created.
Casters use boric acid as a binder during the lining of the furnace.
In everyday life, a person uses it to fight insects.
Acid is actively used in cosmetology to care for problem skin.
In the food industry, boric acid is called E284 additives, and in laboratories, buffer solutions are prepared on its basis.
The H3Bo3 boric acid formula is used in the manufacture of ceramics, glass, fiberglass and optical fiber.
Many of the combined preparations of the ATX D08AD group have boric acid as one of the components.
Jewelers use it during the soldering of alloys, which include gold, as the basis of the fluxof for soldering.
Is boric acid dangerous?
Boric acid is not dangerous and can only be harmful if used recklessly. The lethal concentration in the child’s body is from 4 to 5 g, and in the adult’s body about 15-20 g. Since H
3 Bo
3 is not excreted from the body for a sufficiently long time, it can gradually accumulate up to a lethal dose with frequent and regular incorrect application.
In conclusion, we can say that H 3 Bo 3 is an indispensable substance in human life and activity.