boron

Non-metallic element, atomic number 5, relative atomic mass 10.811. In nature it is found only in compounds, as with sodium and oxygen in borax. It exists in two allotropic forms (see allotropy): brown amorphous powder and very hard, brilliant crystals. Its compounds are used in the preparation of boric acid, water softeners, soaps, enamels, glass, and pottery glazes. In alloys it is used to harden steel. Because it absorbs slow neutrons, it is used to make boron carbide control rods for nuclear reactors. It is a necessary trace element in the human diet. The element was named by Humphry Davy, who isolated it in 1808, from borax + -on, as in carbon.

Boron

Community in south-central California, in the Mojave Desert, 110 km/70 mi northeast of Los Angeles and just northeast of Edwards Air Force Base; population (1990) 2,100. It is located in an area that produces most of the world's borax, and is the site of enormous open-pit mines.