Recent news regarding borax is dominated by a tragic incident in Tamil Nadu, India, where a 19-year-old college student died after consuming the substance for weight loss, following advice from a YouTube video.
About Borax
Chemical Properties and Origin
Borax is an important boron compound that is typically found in evaporite deposits from repeatedly evaporated seasonal lakes.
- Formula: The most common form is sodium tetraborate decahydrate, with the chemical formula Naâ‚‚Bâ‚„O₇·10Hâ‚‚O or Naâ‚‚[Bâ‚„Oâ‚…(OH)â‚„]·8Hâ‚‚O.
- Physical Appearance: It is a white, odorless crystalline solid that dissolves in water to create an alkaline solution.
- Reactions: When heated, borax loses its water content and can form a glassy mass. It reacts with strong acids to produce boric acid and is used as a flux in metallurgy because it dissolves metal oxides.
Common Uses
Borax's properties make it a versatile agent for many uses, both in the home and in industry.
- Household Cleaning: It is a common ingredient in many household cleaners and can be used to remove stains from sinks, clean tile floors, freshen drains, and remove rust.
- Laundry: Borax acts as a laundry booster, helping to soften hard water, enhance detergent effectiveness, remove stains, and neutralize odors in clothes and carpets.
- Pest Control: It can be an effective, natural aid for deterring and killing common pests such as ants, cockroaches, and spiders when sprinkled in cracks and crevices.
- DIY & Crafts: Borax is a popular ingredient for making homemade slime and other crafts by cross-linking with polyvinyl alcohol-based glues.
- Industrial/Agricultural: It is used in the manufacturing of glass, ceramics, and enamel glazes, as a flux in welding and soldering, as a fire retardant, and as a micronutrient fertilizer in agriculture.
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