Q. Why we use Boron?
Boron is used to increase the hardness of steels. Crystalline boron is used in transistors. Boron is a good neutron absorber and is used as shields and control rods in nuclear reactors. Boranes are used as high energy fuels, for example, in rockets. Boric acid is used as' an antiseptic. Borax is used to make heat resistant borosilicate glass. It is also used for vitreous enamelling of baths, domestic appliances and for glazing tiles and pottery. Another use of borax is to make peroxyborates, e.g., NaBO2.H2O2-3H20, which are useful cleaning and bleaching agents. In the laboratory, borax is used for standardising acids and in the borax bead test in qualitative analysis.