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Borax

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Borax, which is also commonly called sodium borate, is an important boron compound, a mineral, and a salt of boric acid. The origin of the name comes from the Arabic Buraq for “white”. The chemical formula for borax is Na2b405 (0H) 4.8(H2O). Some of the known synonyms for borax are ICSD 30506, PDI33-1215. The cleavage for borax is (100) perfect, (110) perfect. The color for borax is blue, colorless, green, gray, and grey white. The luster for borax is greasy or oily. With it having a greasy luster this means the quality if light reflected from the surface is low. The streak for borax is white. The hardness for borax on the Mohs scale is 2-2.5, which is in between gypsum and a fingernail. With this rating on the Mohs scale it means that it does not have a high measure of resistance to abrasion or scratching. The fracture for borax is brittle, and conchoidal, which means that it has smooth curved surface when it breaks in a glasslike manner. The density for borax is 1.7 which means it does not have a lot of density as many other minerals. The luminescence for borax is non- florescent. There are many ways that borax is used today. Some of the top uses of it is as a cleaning agent. Borax can be mixed in different solutions, combined with other chemicals, or used alone for many purposes. Some of the household cleaning uses of borax are removing rust, making an all-purpose household cleaner, laundry detergent, to remove stains from stainless steel, and to add into your dishwasher. These are just a few of the many typical uses for borax around the home for cleaning. Another use of borax around the house is a bug or rodent repellent. With one solution you can use it to defend your house from water bugs, roaches, mice, and ants by simply sprinkling it around your house. Borax is also good for getting rid of bed bugs off a mattress, as you just have to sprinkle it on the mattress and then vacuum it up. Borax can also be used if your house is infested with fleas. It can be sprinkled onto your carpet, leave it for an hour, then you just vacuum it up. Borax is also used to make buffer solutions in biochemistry, as a fire retardant, and as a flux in metallurgy.

References
Francesca, C. (2010, August 12). 25 household uses for Borax . DIY Life. Retrieved January 21, 2012, from http://www.diylife.com/2010/08/12/25-household-uses-for-borax
Whiting, B. (n.d.). What You Need To Know About Borax. Home parents. Retrieved January 21, 2012, from http://homeparents.about.com/cs/householdtips/a/borax.htm

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