Is boron a metal?Boron powder does not belong to the metal family, and it is also not a solid because boron lacks many of the properties that metals have. Boron has the lowest outermost electron count of any non-metallic. It is available in both amorphous (or powdery) and crystalline form. The amorphous form is brown-black or black powder. It is hard like diamond. Amorphous Boron slowly oxidizes at room temperature in the air, and it self-ignites around 800 degrees C. Boron, hydrochloric and hydrofluoric acids do not react even after they have been boiled.

Boron is slowly oxidized and eroded when a mixture of hot concentrated sodium dichromate with sulfuric acid and nitric acids is used. The boron crystals can be slowly oxidized by hydrogen peroxide or ammonium perisulfate. Boron reacts violently and rapidly with sulfur when heated to 600 degrees C. This mixture is called boronsulfide. Boron nitride can be formed when boron, in the presence of nitrogen or ammonia is heated over 1000 deg C. At 1800-2100 deg C hydrogen and boron don't react. But at 2100 deg C and higher, boron, silicon, and ammonia react to form silicon-boride. At high temperature, boron can react with metals and metal oxides in order to produce metal borides.

Boron Properties:
It is a black, dark brown, or gray powder. When it is oxidized by air, it prevents the internal elemental boran from oxidizing further due to the formation boron-trioxide film. It is not affected by hydrofluoric or hydrochloric acid in aqueous solutions. Boron powder is soluble with sulfuric acid and boiling nitric, but not in water. Amorphous boron has a chemically active nature, and the powder can be combined with air to form explosive mixtures.

Boron is an electrical conductor that is weak at normal temperatures and strong at higher temperatures. The elemental form of boron comes in different allotropes. Amorphous is brown and crystalline is grayish-black. Elemental Boron has a hardness that is similar to diamond. It also has a very high electrical resistance. But its electrical conductivity will increase with temperature. Crystalline boron tends to be more inert while amorphous is more active. The stable isotopes of boron are only two. Boric acid and borate are the main forms of boron in nature.

Boron Uses:
Boron is essential for the production of ribonucleic Acid, an important component in the building blocks of life. James Stephenson is a postdoctoral scientist at the University of Hawaii NASA Institute of Astrobiology. He said: "Bronze could be important for life's origin on Earth, because it stabilises nucleics, which are key components of the ribonucleic. Ribonucleic acids are considered to be precursors of DNA information in the early stages of life.

Boron is an important chemical raw-material mineral. It is used mainly in the productions of borax and boric acid, as well as for boron compounds. Also, it is used for metallurgy. Building materials, machinery and electrical industries. Chemicals, light wool, the nuclear industry, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and other sectors. Boron is a very important material that can be added to an alloy as a component or an addition.

Boron can also be used as a raw material to manufacture high-purity boric halides. It is also a component in the production of control rods, rocket reactors and high-energy rocket fuels. Boron is used as a raw material to make a variety borides. This can be used in place of precious metals and those that are deficient for olefins.

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