1. Wanted For: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/894.html 2.

Alias or AKAs- B Description: Brief description: boron is a Group 13 element that has properties which are borderline between metals and non-metals (semimetallic). It is a semiconductor rather than a metallic conductor. Chemically it is closer to silicon than to aluminium, gallium, indium, and thallium. Crystalline boron is inert chemically and is resistant to attack by boiling HF or HCl. When finely divided it is attacked slowly by hot concentrated nitric acid.

Name: Boron Symbol: B Atomic number: 5 Atomic weight: 10.811 (7) [see notes g m r] Standard state: solid at 298 K CAS Registry ID: 7440-42-8

Group in periodic table: 13 Group name: (none) Period in periodic table: 2 Block in periodic table: pblock Colour: black Classification: Semimetallic

Image adapted with permission from Prof James Marshall's (U. North Texas, USA) Walking Tour of the elements CD.

Cartoon by Nick D Kim (nearingzero.net, used by permission).

Isolation
Isolation: it is not normally necessary to make boron in the laboratory and it would normally be purchased as it is available commercially. The most common sources of boron are tourmaline, borax [Na2B4O5(OH)4.8H2O], and kernite [Na2B4O5(OH)4.2H2O]. It is difficult to obtain pure. It can be made through the magnesium reduction of the oxide, B2O3. The oxide is made by melting boric acid, B(OH)3, which in turn is obtained from borax. B2O3 + 3Mg 2B + 3MgO

Samm amounts of high purity boron are available through the thermal decomposition of compounds such as BBr3 with hydrogen gas using a heated tantalum wire. Results are better with hot wires at tmeperatures over 1000C. Modus Operandi( mode of operation)Boron does not react with water or oxygen but when Boron burns it creates boron trioxide and when Boron burns in air when heated it creates a mixture of Boron trioxide and Boron Nitrate. Boron does not react with Acids or Alkalis and will only react if it is in a highly divided state. Also Boron is oxidised by Nitric Acid to produce Boric Acid and finally Boron reacts with fused Sodium Hydroxide to form Sodium, Borate and Hydrogen. Boron is also used in the bearings of wind turbines and in the nuclear industry for a moderator for neutrons. Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_does_boron_react_with#ixzz1aNveYDfb First Arresting Officer- http://wanttoknowit.com/who-discovered-boron/ Arrest Report on First Arrest: http://wanttoknowit.com/who-discovered-boron/ Priors- Boron minerals, especially borax were traded more than thousand years

ago. Then, sheep, camel and yak caravans transportaed borax from desert salt beds in Persia and Tibet to the Arab countries and also to India, mainly for making glass. Boron nitride can be used to make materials that are almost as hard as diamond.

The primary source of both boron and borates is the mining of boron-containing minerals such as colemanite, ulexite, tincal, and kernite. Only certain deposits can be mined economically. These are located in arid regions of Turkey and the USA, and also in Argentina, Chile, Russia, China, and Peru.
Last Known Whereabouts-

The total world production of boron minerals was approximately 2 750 000 tonnes in 1994. About 250 000 tonnes of boron, corresponding to 800 000 tonnes of boron oxide (B2O3), was present in commercial borate products manufactured from these minerals.
Known Associates- Combined with other elements Warning- Good natured and well behaved or armed and dangerous