Background Information
The name Boron comes from the mineral in which it was originally mined, called borax. Borax has been used for thousands of year as a glaze. A glaze is type of coating that can be used to make ceramics and vases shiny. The Chinese are believed to have used a borax glaze on some their pottery since 700 AD! Boron was first isolated and labelled an element by Sir Humphry Davy, Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac and Louis Jacques Thénard in the 18th century.
Pure Boron is a black powder that has no definite structure although it has potential to become crystalline when exerted to greater pressures and temperatures.
Boron is relatively non-toxic as it is a nutrient essential to keeping plants alive.
How is it used in everyday life?
Boron has a multitude of different applications across a diverse range of different fields. As mentioned earlier Boron can be used as a glazing agent for glass and ceramics and this is still one of its major uses today.
Boron is also used as a part of medicines and drug formulations, to create computer chips and is also used to shield nuclear reactors!