The Probert Encyclopaedia of Science & Technology

BORAX

Borax or sodium tetraborate has long been obtained under the name of tincal, from India, the main source being not India but a series of lakes in Tibet. As imported it was in small pieces of a dirty yellowish colour, and was covered with a fatty or soapy matter. Tincal, which contains various impurities, was formerly the only source of borax; but besides Tuscany other sources of boric acid, more particularly in North and South America, and the salt mines at Stassfurt, etc, in Germany, were rendered available. North America yields large quantities, there being rich deposits of borax and boracic minerals on the Pacific slope. Pure borax forms large transparent six-sided prisms, which dissolve readily in water, effloresce in dry air, and when heated melt in their water of crystallization, swell up, and finally fuse to a transparent glass.

Borax has a variety of uses. In medicine it is employed in ulcerations and skin diseases, and its cleansing properties render it useful for various domestic purposes. It has valuable antiseptic and disinfecting properties, and is now much used for the preservation of meat, fish, and milk, especially meat. It is also employed in the soldering of metals, and in making fine glaze for porcelain, as it renders the materials more fusible. It is used as an ingredient of enamels, and in making beads, glass, and cement. It is also one of the mordants employed in calico-printing.
Research Borax