Considering it is one of the 109 elements present on our planet it shouldn’t surprise us that boron is all around us. Although it does not exist in Nature as such, boron combined with oxygen and other elements gives rise to salts commonly called “borax”.
Given that various types of borax have been an integral part of Nature ever since the formation of the earth, it is only natural that they have been used in the most diverse ways since the beginnings of the first civilisations. According to legend borax was first used by the Egyptians in the process of mummification and thereafter by the Romans for glass manufacture. The first use that can be historically verified was by the Arabs and dates to the 8th century after Christ. Gold- and silversmiths used borax as a soldering and polishing agent. The word borax itself derives from the Arabic word buraq or baurach, meaning glittering or brightness.
In the course of the following centuries borax gradually became part of the technical and economic development of Europe thanks to Venetian tradesmen who undertook the importation of tincal (the Sanskrit name for borax) from the Tibetan plateaux. For around four centuries, that is until the beginnings of production on an industrial scale at Larderello (Italy), borax was to remain a rare treasure transported from the Far East along the caravan routes.
Today, although borax deposits are still rare and are concentrated in a few areas of the earth (Turkey, California and the Andes), the use of boron in its various forms has become so widespread that compounds of the element are used to manufacture commodities essential for modern life in nearly all productive sectors.
Although you may well not be aware of it, boron is ever present in all aspects of our lives.
Today, although borax deposits are still rare and are concentrated in a few areas of the earth (Turkey, California and the Andes), the use of boron in its various forms has become so widespread that compounds of the element are used to manufacture commodities essential for modern life in nearly all productive sectors.
Although you may well not be aware of it, boron is ever present in all aspects of our lives.