What is Orthoboric Acid?

Orthoboric acid, popularly known as boric acid is a mild, odorless monobasic Lewis acid of Boron. It naturally occurs as a powder and is found mainly in its free state in some volcanic areas.

Orthoboric Acid is also unearthed as a constituent of many naturally occurring minerals like borax, boracite, sassolite, and ulexite. Orthoboric acid and its salts are also found in seawater and many different types of fruits. It is used as a safe alternative to chemical insecticides for pest control. Orthoboric acid yields borate anions, and salts, and can react with alcohols to form borate esters.

Molecular Formula of Orthoboric Acid

Molecular formula of orthoboric acid is BH3O3 also written as B(OH)3.

Orthoboric Acid

Orthoboric Acid, also known as boric acid, is a mild Lewis acid of Boron. Orthoboric Acid is found in volcanic areas and various minerals. It appears as a white crystalline solid and has a trigonal planar structure. Orthoboric Acid serves diverse purposes, from being a pesticide and food preservative to having applications in medicine and the manufacturing industry.

This article provides an overview of its properties, molecular structure, preparation methods, reactions and performance as compared to borax. It also delves into the uses of orthoboric acid, emphasizing its role as a generally safe pesticide while highlighting precautions due to its potential toxicity.

Table of Content

  • What is Orthoboric Acid?
  • Properties of Orthoboric Acid
  • Structure of Orthoboric Acid
  • Orthoboric Acid Reactions
  • Orthoboric Acid vs Borax
  • Uses of Orthoboric Acid

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What is Orthoboric Acid?

Orthoboric acid, popularly known as boric acid is a mild, odorless monobasic Lewis acid of Boron. It naturally occurs as a powder and is found mainly in its free state in some volcanic areas....

Structure of Orthoboric Acid

The chemical formula of orthoboric acid is BH3O3. It has a trigonal structure. In this configuration, three oxygen atoms adopt a trigonal planar arrangement around the boron. The B-O bond length measures 136 pm, while the O-H bond is 97 pm....

Properties of Orthoboric Acid

The properties of Orthoboric Acid is mentioned below...

Preparation of Orthoboric Acid

Wilhelm Homberg was the first one to extract and synthesize Orthoboric Acid. Utilizing borax and mineral acids, he synthesized the compound. Interestingly, historical records reveal that ancient Greeks employed borates and boric acid, primarily for food preservation and cleaning purposes....

Orthoboric Acid Reactions

Orthoboric Acid undergoes following Recations...

Orthoboric Acid vs Borax

Borax (Na2[B4O5(OH)4]·8H2O) is often confused with boric acid, but they are different formulations of the same compound. Both of them are known as borates. Borax is a mineral found naturally and is used as a cleaning agent whereas is extracted, processed and refined to form a powder that is mostly used in pest control....

Uses of Orthoboric Acid

The uses of orthoboric acid are mentioned below:...

Orthoboric Acid – FAQs

1. Why is Orthoboric Acid weak?...

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