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Boron
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Boron is never found in the elemental form in nature. It was first obtained by Moissan in 1895 by reduction of boric anhydride (B2O3) with magnesium in a thermite-type reaction (Moissan, Ann. Chim Phys 7:6, 296, 1895). This is still used for obtaining large quantities of impure boron. Highly purified crystalline boron is obtained by vapor phase reduction of the compound boron trichloride with hydrogen on electrically heated filaments in a flow system (Stern, Lynds, Journal of Electrochemical Society, 105, 676. 1958).
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Boron is found in a variety of similar minerals all related to borax, sodium tetraborate, Na2B4O7·10H2O. The name comes from the Arabic buraq, "white." Borax is the same in French and German as in English, but the element is bor. In Spanish, the words are bóraxo and boro. It is a relatively rare element in the earth's crust, representing only 0.001%. In the United States, borax is found in large amounts in California, in Searles Lake brines and in the Mojave desert.
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Boron enters the environment mainly from the weathering of boron-containing rocks, from seawater in the form of boric acid vapour and from volcanic and other geothermal activity such as geothermal steam. Boron is ... released, though to a lesser extent, from human activities. These include the use of borate-containing fertilizers and herbicides, the burning of plant-based products such as wood, coal, or oil, and the release of waste from borate mining and processing. Borates also reach the environment due to the use of borates and perborates in the home and in industry, through leaching from treated wood or paper, and from sewage and sewage sludge disposal.
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Boron has two stable isotopes having atomic masses of 10 and 11. The natural abundance of the isotopes is approximately 19% 10B and 81% 11B. A mass spectrometer is needed to measure the individual isotopes of boron. Hence ICPMS can quantify each isotope individually. 10B-enriched boric acid, borax, or disodium octaborate tetrahydrate were used in this study.
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Boron acts in the same way in humans as in other mammals. These similarities help to make it possible to make reliable predictions of effects on humans from effects observed on laboratory animals such as rats. When swallowed and inhaled, boron is widely distributed throughout the body, and some is taken up by the bones. It is then rapidly excreted, with boron incorporated in bone taking a longer time to be eliminated.
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Boron is essential for germination of pollen grains and growth of pollen tubes and is essential for seed and cell wall formation. Boron deficiency generally results in stunted plant growth. In most crops the symptoms of boron deficiency are quite specific such as crooked stem in celery, corky core in apples, black heart in beets, hollow heart in peanuts and ringed leaf petioles in cotton. Organic matter is an important source of soil boron. High soil pH ... limits boron availability.
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Boron