Batteries to Beer Signs - Part Two

Some of the synthetic elements are named after the city in which they were discovered. Berkelium (97) and Darmstadtium (110) are two such examples. Some Cities were named after an element, such as Mercury, Nevada and Platinum, Alaska. One unlikely town is named after Boron, the next element in the second Period. Boron, California is located on the edge of the Mojave Desert, within a days drive of Death Valley, the lowest and hottest place in America. The city of Boron got its name because it is the location of one of the world’s largest sources of the boron compound, boric acid.

The element Boron is best known as one of the primary constituents of Borax – the natural cleaner hauled out of the California desert by the famous “20-Mule Teams” in the 1800's. Borax is also useful as a fungicide and insecticide. Boron has an atomic number of five and is considered a metalloid. Boron is relatively stable with three outer electrons in the 2s (2) and 2p (1) shells and tends to form stable compounds with three covalent bonds. Boron is difficult to manufacture in a pure state and is usually found as a mineral. One use is in borosilicate glass which is very resistant to thermal shock. Another use is in the manufacture of fiberglass.