MUSCAT CHEMICAL TAG::
Borax, also known as sodium borate, sodium tetraborate, or disodium tetraborate, is an important boron compound, a mineral, and a salt of boric acid. Powdered borax is white, consisting of soft colorless crystals that dissolve in water. A number of closely related minerals or chemical compounds that differ in their crystal water content are referred to as borax, and the word is usually used to refer to the octahydrate. Commercially sold borax is partially dehydrated. Borax is a component of many detergents, cosmetics, and enamel glazes. It is used to make buffer solutions in biochemistry, as a fire retardant, as an anti-fungal compound, in the manufacture of fiberglass, as a flux in metallurgy, neutron-capture shields for radioactive sources, a texturing agent in cooking, as a cross-linking agent in Slime, as an alkali in photographic developers, and as a precursor for other boron compounds.
In addition to its use in detergents, Borax is used as an emulsifier and natural preservative and has cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications in creams, ointments, and lotions. Its alkalinity allows it to be used as a pH buffering agent to neutralize acids.
Infants aged from 6 to 16 weeks who ingested sodium tetraborate at doses of about 0.98 g boric acid/day for periods of 4 to 12 weeks .
