Facts for Kids on Who Discovered Boron

Boron is a relatively new substance. Many people have participated in its discovery. Francis "Borax" Smith discovered a big vein of kernite, the rock that produces borax, in California. Three men, Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac, Louis Jacques Thenard, and Humphrey Davy simultaneously found a way to make boron from boric acid, a substance that comes from borax. Ezekiel Weintraub learned how to make boron more pure. Jiuhua Chen, Vladimir L. Solozhenko and Artem Oganov added research.

  1. Origins of Boron

    • Boron is made from a substance called kernite or razorite. The substance was found in 1926, in Boron, California by Francis "Borax" Smith. It is a sedimentary rock that is white, grayish or clear in color. It occurs in thick veins and is sometimes striated. It can be dissolved in water. It loses its water content when exposed to air, causing it to develop a soft powder on its surface when left sitting out. The soft, powdery substance is borax. Kernite can also be found in Argentina and in Turkey.

    Simultaneous Discovery

    • The element boron, which is made from kernite, was discovered by two Frenchmen, Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac and Louis Jacques Thenard, in 1808. Working together, they reacted boric acid with potassium, producing a substance they called "boracium." It was independently discovered by Humphrey Davy in London. Davy first tried to use electrolysis on boric acid, but found that he had greater success with potassium. The boron produced by these three men was only about 60 percent pure.

    Purified Boron

    • Ezekiel Weintraub, an American chemist, used hydrogen on boron to create a substance that was almost 99 percent pure. In 2004, Jiuhua Chen and Vladimir L. Solozhenko produced a new kind of boron, but weren't really sure what to do with it. In 2009, a team lead by Artem Oganov further refined the substance. He described boron as a schizophrenic substance that didn't really know what it was doing. It is almost as hard as diamonds and more heat resistant.

    Uses of Boron

    • Boron is needed for plant growth. The cleaning product known as Borax can be used to clean everything from floors to laundry. It can be used as a soft abrasive for scrubbing off substances that are stuck onto something. It has been used medicinally to treat yeast infections and it was used between 1870 and 1920 as a food preservative. It might sometimes even be recommended to help older adults increase bone strength. However an article on WebMD recommends that it be used with caution.

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