Product Properties:

Colorless glassy crystals or powder. The surface has a slippery feel and is odorless. It is soluble in acids, ethanol, and hot water, and slightly soluble in cold water. It forms volatile boric acid in hot water vapor. In the molten state, it can dissolve various metal oxides to produce colored borosilicate glass. Alkali metals, as well as magnesium and aluminum, can reduce it to elemental boron. 

Applications:

Used to produce elemental boron and fine boron compounds, as well as in the manufacturing of borosilicate glass, optical glass, heat-resistant glass, and glass fibers. It is also employed as a flame retardant and drying agent in paints, as a flux during the decomposition of silicates, a doping agent in semiconductor materials, and as a refractory additive in heat-resistant glassware and paints. It serves as a raw material for producing elemental boron and various borides. In the metallurgical industry, it is used in the production of alloy steels. Additionally, it can act as an acidic catalyst in organic synthesis, an additive for high-temperature lubricants, and a chemical reagent.