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boron

(bôr′än′)

noun

a nonmetallic chemical element occurring only in combination, as with sodium and oxygen in borax, and produced in the form of either a brown amorphous powder or very hard, brilliant crystals: its compounds are used in the preparation of boric acid, water softeners, soaps, enamels, glass, pottery, etc.: symbol, B; at. no., 5

Origin: < earlier boracium (< borax) + -on, as in (carb)on: so named by Sir Humphry Davy, who isolated it (1808)

See boron in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun Symbol B

A soft, brown, amorphous or crystalline nonmetallic element, extracted chiefly from kernite and borax and used in flares, propellant mixtures, nuclear reactor control elements, abrasives, and hard metallic alloys. Atomic number 5; atomic weight 10.811; melting point 2,300°C; sublimation point 2,550°C; specific gravity (crystal) 2.34; valence 3. See Table at element.

Origin:

Origin: bor(ax)¹

Origin: + (carb)on

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