{"id":10519,"date":"2017-10-24T12:00:25","date_gmt":"2017-10-24T12:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/mining\/?p=10519"},"modified":"2026-02-03T13:10:37","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T13:10:37","slug":"boron-is-not-so-boring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/mining\/boron-is-not-so-boring\/","title":{"rendered":"Boron Is Not So Boring"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"boronBoron is not as flashy as gold<\/a>, nor as elusive as rare earth metals<\/a>, and not as well-known as copper<\/a>, but it is an important industrial metal nonetheless. In fact, a recent article on phys.org<\/a> calls it the “unsung hero of the periodic table” and says that to call boron boring is a mistake. Boron is very versatile because it easily accepts electrons from other elements to form many interesting compounds with both metals and non-metals. Boron is primarily used in glass and ceramics, but it is also used to make smartphones, flat screen TVs, and neodymium magnets. Boron is also used to prepare detergents, buffer solution, insecticides, insulation and semiconductors. Read the article<\/a> to learn why scientists are investigating boron as a source of energy, as an energy carrier, and for heat conservation.<\/p>\n

Boron doesn’t occur in nature in an elemental state but combines with oxygen and other elements<\/a> to form boric acid, or inorganic salts called borates. According to the U.S Geological Survey 2017 Boron Mineral Commodity Summary<\/a>, boron compounds, chiefly borates, are commercially important; boron products are priced and sold based on their boric oxide content (B2O3), varying by ore and compound and by the absence or presence of calcium and sodium. The four borate minerals— colemanite, kernite, tincal, and ulexite—make up 90% of the borate minerals used by industry worldwide.<\/p>\n

Most borate is mined in Turkey, the United States, and South America. In the U.S., Borax<\/a>, a part of Rio Tinto, operates California’s largest open-pit mine and the largest borax mine in the world, producing nearly half the world’s borates, according to the company’s web site. Borate deposits were discovered in 1872. Originally, the ore was hauled out using twenty mule teams. The current open pit in the Mojave Desert began as an underground mine in 1927, and Boron Operations was converted to a surface mine in the late 1950s.<\/p>\n

The web site Mining Geology HQ<\/a> offers the following tips on finding borate deposits:<\/p>\n