Chemical Properties
white solid
General Description
Pale yellow solid or thick liquid with a faint odor of detergent. Mixes with water. Soap bubbles may be produced.
Air & Water Reactions
Water soluble.
Reactivity Profile
SODIUM PEROXOBORATE is incompatible with the following: Zirconium, strong acids, metallic salts . The true peroxoborate has been reported to detonate on light friction. The common "tetrahydrate" is not a peroxoborate, Sodium tetraborate is relatively stable under mild grinding with other substances.
Health Hazard
No adverse effects from inhaling borax have been reported. Ingestion may cause acute or chronic effects; initial symptoms are nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea; these may be followed by weakness, depression, headaches, skin rashes, drying skin, cracked lips, and loss of hair; shock may follow ingestion of large doses and may interfere with breathing. Eye contact with powder or solutions may cause irritation; no chronic effects have been recognized, but continued contact should be avoided. Local skin irritation may result from contact with powder or strong solutions; the latter may cause chronic dermatitis on prolonged contact, and if skin is broken, enough boron may be absorbed to cause boron poisoning (symptoms are similar to those for ingestion).
Fire Hazard
Behavior in Fire: Compound melts to a glassy material that may flow in large quantities and ignite combustibles elsewhere.
Potential Exposure
Borax is used as a soldering flux,
preservative against wood fungus; and as an antiseptic.
Used in ant poisons, for fly control around refuse and
manure piles, as a larvicide. It is used in the manufacture
of enamels and glazes, fiberglass insulation; sodium perborate
bleach; in tanning, cleaning compounds; for fireproofing
fabrics and wood; and in artificial aging of
wood.
First aid
If this chemical gets into the eyes, remove any
contact lenses at once and irrigate immediately for at least
15 minutes, occasionally lifting upper and lower lids. Seek
medical attention immediately. If this chemical contacts
the skin, remove contaminated clothing and wash immediately
with soap and water. Seek medical attention immediately.
If this chemical has been inhaled, remove from
exposure, begin rescue breathing (using universal precautions,
including resuscitation mask) if breathing has
stopped and CPR if heart action has stopped. Transfer
promptly to a medical facility. When this chemical has
been swallowed, get medical attention. Give large quantities
of water and induce vomiting. Do not make an unconscious
person vomit.
Personal Protective Methods: Exposed workers should be
educated in the proper use of protective equipment and
there should be strict adherence to ventilating provisions in
work areas. Workers involved with the manufacture of
boric acid should be provided with masks to prevent inhalation
of dust and fumes.
Shipping
UN3077 Environmentally hazardous substances,
solid, n.o.s., Hazard class: 9; Labels: 9—Miscellaneous
hazardous material, Technical Name Required.
Incompatibilities
Dissolves in water forming a basic solution.
Boron dust may form explosive mixture with air.
Contact with strong oxidizers may be violent. Boron is
incompatible with ammonia, bromine tetrafluoride, cesium
carbide, chlorine, fluorine, interhalogens, iodic acid, lead
dioxide, nitric acid, nitric oxide, nitrosyl fluoride, nitrous
oxide, potassium nitrite, rubidium carbide, silver fluoride.
Waste Disposal
Borax, dehydrated: The material
is diluted to the recommended provisional limit
(0.10 mg/L) in water. The pH is adjusted to between 6.5
and 9.1 and then the material can be discharged into sewers
or natural streams.
Production Methods
Anhydrous borax is produced from borax through high
temperature fusion. On cooling, the clear, glass-like material
is ground into fine white granules. Because of its higher bulk
density, it is preferred where storage space is limited. It is
used principally in the manufacture of glass, ceramics, and
enamel.
Agricultural Uses
Borate is a salt of boric acid (H3BO3). Sodium
tetraborate, also called borax, sodium borate, sodium
pyroborate and sodium tetraborate decahydrate
(Na2B4O7?10H2O) is a type of borate, and is used as a fertilizer to reduce boron deficiency. It is a white salt, finely ground for fertilizer application. Two commercial products contain borax with varying degrees of hydration. Borax is also used for making boron frits.
Purification Methods
Most of the water of hydration is removed from the decahydrate (see below) by evacuation at 25o for three days, followed by heating to 100o and evacuation with a high-speed diffusion pump. The dried sample is then heated gradually to fusion (above 966o), allowed to cool gradually to 200o, then tranferred to a desiccator containing P2O5 [Grenier & Westrum J Am Chem Soc 78 6226 1956]. [Becher in Handbook of Preparative Inorganic Chemistry (Ed. Brauer) Academic Press Vol I pp 794-795 1963.]
