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Naming History
Boron gets its name from the combination of borax, the mineral in which it was initially discovered, and carbon, an element in which it resembled closely.
Discovery
Boron has been known since ancient times. There is some evidence that the Etrusians of ancient Italy used borates from local hot springs to produce glazes for their black relief vases. Records show that the only location of borax (Na2B2O5(OH)4(H2O)8) in the ancient world, resided in Yamdok Lake, in Tibet. Although is is unclear when trade in borax began, around 1100 AD goldsmiths employed borax as a flux to make the working of molten metal easier. The discovery of pure Boron occured in 1808 and is credited to Louis-Josef Gay-Lussac, Louis-Jacques Thenard and Sir Humphry Davy.
Characteristics
The original creation of Boron is somewhat of a mystery but likely occured in neutron rich areas created by a inhomogeneous Big Bang.
Boron is an essential element for the cell walls of plants, where humans have a regular daily intake of about 2 mg.
Blood contains about 0.13 ppm boron.
Bone contains about 2 ppm boron.
Tissue contains about 2 ppm boron.
Your entire body contains about 18 mg of boron.
Naturally Occurring Minerals
The main minerals that contain boron are kernite and tincal (borax), which are both sodium borates, and ulexite and colemanite, which are both calcium borates. 70% of boron-containing minerals reside in Turkey, with the remainder residing in the United States, Argentina, and Chile.
Where can I find this element @ home
Boron can be found in fruits, such as: apples, grapes, peaches, cherries, and pears.
Vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, and onions contain more than 1 mg of boron per kg of vegetable.
Boric acid (H3BO3) acts as an insecticide for ants and cockroaches.
Boron fibers are strong and can be used in some products, like fishing rods.
Pyrex glassware is tough and heat resistant because of the 12-15% boric oxide used in its manufacture.
Fiberglass, which contains boro-silicate glass, is used to reinforce plastics and as insulation in buildings.
Borax can be found in household detergents. Boron compounds, such as sodium octaborate (Na2B8O13), have been used to fire-proof fabrics and wood.
Boron can also be found in fertilizer. If a soil lacks boron, then plants are stunted, don't pollinate or produce fruit, and are susceptible to diseases.
In fact, boron was found to revitalize the olive groves of Greece and Spain that were giving poor yields of fruit.
Where only 60 g of soluble sodium octaborate was needed per tree per year, and this addition not only increased crop yields, but it eliminated pests, such as the olive fly and the olive moth.
Boron is also added to cosmetics (eye shadow and lipstick) to increase adherence and act as oil absorbent, and has been used in baby products (lotion, oil, powder, etc.).