Boron has 5 electrons. It has 3 electrons in its valency. It has electronic configuration [He] 2s2 2p1. There are two electrons in the 1s orbital, two are in the 2s orbital and the remaining one is in the 2p orbital. So, there are three valence electrons in the boron.
What is boron?
It is a chemical element with the symbol ''B''. The atomic number (symbol Z) of Boron is 5 and the atomic mass is 10.81 amu. It has 5 protons, 5 electrons, and 6 neutrons.There are 13 isotopes of boron in which 2 are stable while the rest of them are radioisotopes. It is located in the periodic table in group 13 ( Boron group) and period 2. It is a p-block element because the last electron is in 2p orbital in the ground state. Its electronegativity is 2.04. It has a very high Melting point 2349 K ?(2076 °C, ?3769 °F) and high boiling point of 4200 K ?(3927 °C, ?7101 °F) It is black-brown metallic in color. It is solid at standard temperature and pressure. It was discovered by Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac, Louis Jacques Thénard and Sir Humphry Davy in 1808.
What is boron used for?
Boron has a wide range of uses some of them are the following.
Boric acid H3BO3 is used in fiberglass formation, adhesives, and as an insecticide. Boron is a vital nutrient for plants in maintaining cell walls. High concentration in the soil can lead to marginal and tip necrosis in leaves. It is used in nuclear reactors for shielding and neutron absorbers. Neodymium magnets (Nd2Fe14B), are the strongest type of permanent magnets used in electronic devices, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Boron is one of the components in this magnet.
Boron is used in semiconductors. It is used in Detergents and in bleaching as Borax and Sodium perborate. Boron carbide is extremely hard and tough. It is also used in steel for making hard alloy which can be used in the making of the nuclear reactor because of its neutron absorbing property. Borosilicate glass is a high-quality glass used in the lab having high resistance to heat and shock. The lightweight and strength of elemental boron fiber make it suitable for use in the aerospace industry. Triethylborane is used as an ignitor in rockets.
