Definition

1. Noun:
   • A mineral and chemical compound: Borax is a white crystalline mineral consisting of hydrated sodium borate (Na₂B₄O₇·10H₂O). It is an important ore of the element boron.
   • A cleaning and fluxing agent: Borax is commonly used as a water-softening detergent, a mild antiseptic, and a flux in metallurgy and soldering to clean metal surfaces and lower melting points.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The geologist identified the white deposits in the dry lake bed as borax.
  • For this science experiment, we will need to dissolve a teaspoon of borax in hot water.
  • Traditional laundry powders often contained borax to boost cleaning power.

Advanced Usage

• "Borax bead test": A qualitative analytical technique in chemistry where borax is fused into a bead on a platinum wire loop to identify certain metal ions by the color they impart to the bead.
  • The chemist used the borax bead test to confirm the presence of cobalt.

Variants and Related Words

• Borate (n): A salt or ester of boric acid, of which borax is a common example.
  • The soil's high concentration of borates made it unsuitable for some crops.
• Boric acid (n): A weak acid (H₃BO₃) derived from boron, often used as an antiseptic or insecticide, related to but distinct from borax.
  • Boric acid powder is sometimes used to control cockroaches.

Synonyms

• Sodium borate: The systematic chemical name for borax.
• Sodium tetraborate: Another chemical name for the compound.
• Tincal: The crude, natural mineral form of borax.

Related Phrases

• "Twenty Mule Team Borax": A famous historical brand name for borax, named after the large wagons pulled by teams of twenty mules used to transport it from mines in the 19th century.
  • The "Twenty Mule Team" is an iconic symbol of the borax mining era in Death Valley.

Noun

1. an ore of boron consisting of hydrated sodium borate; used as a flux or cleansing agent