About Boric Acid
Boric acid is a naturally occurring compound containing the elements boron, oxygen, and hydrogen (H3BO3). In nature, the element boron doesn't exist by itself. Boron is combined with other common elements, such as sodium to make salts like borax and with oxygen to make boric acid. Boron is considered to be an essential micronutrient for plants and maybe even humans. Boron in the diet most commonly comes from the boric acid naturally present in most foods. Fruits, vegetables, grains and nuts are particularly high in boron. It also occurs naturally in water and soil.
Boric acid crystals are white, odorless, and nearly tasteless. It looks like fine table salt in the granular form or like baby powder in the powdered form. Borates commonly originate in dried salt lake beds of desert or arid areas or other geographic regions that expose similar deposits.
Borates have been used for thousands of years in China and middle-eastern countries. In those areas, borates have been commonly used as a food preservative, cleaning agent, and as an antiseptic. Boric acid crystals were first man-made in 1702 by Wilhelm Homberg who mixed borax and mineral acids with water. The evaporating water left crystals of boric acid and was often called "Homberg’s salt". European researchers soon discovered the compound’s properties as an eye wash and mild antiseptic. Turkish boron deposits, known since the 13th century, began being mined on a large scale in 1861. In the 1870’s borax deposits were discovered in Nevada and Death Valley, California. James Wright, a General Electric engineer searching for rubber substitutes during WWII, came upon a remarkable new material by mixing silicone oil with boric acid. The new compound had unique properties, acting very much like rubber. It could be stretched to many times its length without breaking and bounced 25% higher than a normal rubber ball. It could even pick up the images of most printed material. In 1949 the material was given the name Silly Putty and it sold faster than any other toy at that time.
Today, borates are mined and refined in modern, efficient plants that produce millions of pounds of highpurity borates. Boric acid is one of the most commonly produced borates and is widely used throughout the world.