What are the two physical properties of boron?
Well to start, before going to the discussion about What is boron? and What are its physical properties let us look into the topic of elements?
What are elements?
Elements are substances usually used in Chemistry where they are defined as pure substances which consist of only atoms and also elements in their atomic nuclei have atoms that have the same numbers of protons.They are different from chemical compounds in the sense that they are not broken into simpler substances easily by chemical means as in the case of chemical compounds. Each element’s property is generally defined by how many protons are present in the nucleus and this is commonly known as the atomic number usually denoted by Z i.e., atoms that consist of the same atomic number belong to the same element.
The baryonic matters belonging to the universe are all composed of chemical elements. When there exists, a chemical reaction undergone by elements, the atoms of those elements rearranged themselves to form new compounds where chemical bonds develop between them hold them together.However, some elements are found not in a state of combination with any other elements and exist in their pure states or as element minerals e.g., gold and silver.Whereas the majority of the elements occurring naturally exist in the earth sometimes as mixtures or compounds. For example, air consists of a mixture of many elements such as Oxygen, Nitrogen, Argon, and so on. Another example is water which consists of Hydrogen and Oxygen.
There are many elements that have been discovered that are present on the Earth and these are given in a Periodic table.
Element naming:
The naming of these substances comes before the atomic theory of matter, where the names were entirely given by the locals based on different cultures and languages for the case of minerals, compounds, mixtures, and so on although it was not clear which is the element, and which is compound. Later, these were identified as elements and some names remained by the ones given in ancient times such as gold, iron, and silver. Different elements were called differently by different Nations.
However, for international communication purposes, the names are given by the IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry. The IUPAC generally prefer the spellings of the elements in Britain English e.g., “aluminium” and “caesium” rather than the spellings in the US, “aluminum” and “cesium”. For sulfur, however, the U.S spelling is preferable over the British spelling of Sulphur.
Element symbols:
Element symbols consist of either one or two letters that are abbreviated for an element name. In case a symbol has two letters the first letter is capitalized whereas the second one is in lowercase.
Notes:
- Atomic number, Element name, and element symbol are unique identifiers.
- Element names are only those accepted by the IUPAC for international use.
Boron
Here, we will discuss one particular element that is Boron which belongs to group 13 of the periodic table. It is rarely present or of low abundance in the Earth’s crust or the solar system as a whole. Its presence is approximately 0.001 % by weight of the Earth’s crust.
Boron or B is known to be the icosagens’ first member having a symbol B. It is a metal of black-browncolor having an atomic weight= of 10.81 atomic mass units. Boron consists of 5 protons and electrons and 6 neutrons.
Boron was first discovered by French Chemist and physicist, Joseph Louis-Gay Lussac and a French chemist Louis Jacques on June 30, in the year 1808. It was named after Borax which is an Arabic word also called buraq. It consists of 14 isotopes and the longest of them is the B-19 in which its half-life is 2.92 milliseconds and the shortest amongst them is the B-7 where the half-life is 350 yoctoseconds.
The compounds of Boron include:
Borazon
Boron arsenide Boron carbide Boron carbides Boron trichloride Boron trifluoride Boron tribromide Boron sulfide
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Boron monofluoride
Boron monofluoride monoxide Boron monoxide Boron nitride Boron trifluoride etherate Boron triiodide Boron trioxide Boron suboxide |
Boron nitride aerogel
Boron nitride nanosheet Boron nitride nanotube Boron oxide Boron phosphate Boron phosphide
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The different features and physical characteristics of Boron include:
Symbol of Boron: B
Atomic mass: 10.81 (amu, g/mol)
Atomic number: 5
Electron configuration: [He] 2s22p1
Electrons per shell: 2,3
Atomic radius: 90 pm
Melting point: Boron’s melting point is 2076°C
Boiling Point: Its boiling point is 3927°C
Oxidation states: −5, −1, 0, +1, +2, +3
Mohs hardness: ~9.5
It is unreactive to water,alkalis nor acids, oxygen, however, it can easily react with various other metals and form borides. It is a poor conductor of electricity at room temperature and pressurebut nevertheless, at a higher temperature, it acts as a good conductor of electricity.