Boron

Boron is a trivalent metalloid element which occurs abundantly in the evaporite ores borax and ulexite. Elemental boron is used as a dopant in the semiconductor industry, while boron compounds play important roles as light structural materials, insecticides and preservatives, and reagents for chemical synthesis. Boron is an essential plant nutrient. Whereas lack of boron results in boron deficiency disorder, high soil concentrations of boron may also be toxic to plants. This book presents current research in the study of boron, including borophosphates; boron in higher plants; thermodynamic stability of boride semiconductor alloys; boron beam interaction with matter; boron processing in the solar cell industry; and, treatment of boron-containing water.