Research Paper on:
Chemistry of Boron

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
of boron: amorphous boron, which is a brown powder, and metallic boron, which is hard and black.3 Metallic boron is not found in free form in nature.4 Boron has a  vacant p-orbital position, and is, therefore, electron-deficient. Compounds made with boron frequently behave as Lewis acids, in that they readily bind with electron-rich substances due to Borons "insatiable hunger for  electrons."5 Some specific characteristics of boron that derive from its chemical composition are, first of all, that boron demonstrates the highest tensile strength of any known element.6 Boron nitride can  be combined with other materials and produce a compound that is as hard as diamond.7 This nitride is capable of being an electrical insulator that also conducts heat in a  manner similar to metal and has the same lubricating effect as graphite.8 Boron is "similar to carbon with its capability to form stable covalently boned molecular networks."9 The applications for  boron are varied. Amorphous boron is utilized in pyrotechnic flares; boric acid is a important factor in textile products; boron compounds are utilized widely in organic synthesis; boron filaments, due  to their high-strength and lightweight are used in advance aerospace structures.10 Furthermore, hydrides of boron, which are oxidized easily, thereby liberating tremendous amounts of energy, are being studied as  a possible rocket fuel.11 Natural waters and Natural sources The U.S. and Turkey are the largest producers of boron. While boron does not occur in nature in its elemental form,  it is found, as indicated above, in borax ore, as well as "boric acid, colemanite, kernite, ulexite and borates."12 It is also sometimes found in volcanic spring waters.13 The most  significant source of boron in the U.S. is the ore rasorite (kernite), as well as tincal (borax ore), which are both mined in the Mojave Desert in California.14 Boron is