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Borax Decahydrate

An important multifunctional source of boric oxide

From detergents to dyes to adhesives, this mild alkaline salt does it all, particularly excelling as a buffering and fluxing agent.

Gentle Cleaning, Powerful Protection

20 Mule Team^® borax decahydrate is the refined form of natural sodium borate. Composed of boric oxide (B₂O₃), sodium oxide, and water, this mild alkaline salt has excellent buffering and fluxing properties. Available in a white crystalline powder or granular form, borax decahydrate is an important multi-functional source of boric oxide, particularly for processes in which the simultaneous presence of sodium is beneficial.

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APPLICATION AND BENEFITS

Borax decahydrate is incorporated into many cleaning products as a pH buffering agent. It aids in the emulsification of oils and serves as a gentle abrasive. The product can be added to powdered hand soaps as an effective way to remove medium-to-heavy soils—such as those encountered in industrial operations—yet it is gentle to the skin. Borax decahydrate is often added to:

Formulations that are used to clean hard surfaces (e.g., metals, glass, ceramics)
Polishes and waxes
Industrial institutional cleaning compounds

Laundry detergents

The product helps with the removal of oily soils from fabrics, and imparts alkalinity, pH buffering, and softening of the wash water. Plus, borax decahydrate can be used to stabilize enzymes.

Cosmetics, toiletries, and pharmaceuticals

In contact lens solutions, it is used with boric acid as a gentle cleanser and buffering agent. Borax decahydrate is also used as a cross linking agent to emulsify waxes and other paraffins that form the base for lotions, creams, and ointments.

Industry

Aside from its use as a cleaning agent, borax decahydrate is prized for its ability to dissolve metal oxides where it’s used in the recovery of metals such as brass, copper, lead, and zinc from scrap or smelting slag. In ferrous metallurgy, the product is used as a cover flux to prevent oxidation at the surface of the molten ingot. In welding, brazing, and soldering, borax decahydrate is used to cover the metal surfaces, where it excludes air and prevents oxidation.

Speaking of oxidation, borax decahydrate slows corrosion in aqueous systems, water treatment chemicals, and in the manufacture of automotive and engine coolant formulations. Aqueous solutions of borax decahydrate have replaced chromates in railroad and other diesel engine coolants. And, because borax decahydrate is highly soluble in ethylene glycol, it is especially useful in car antifreeze formulations. It neutralizes the acidic residue that results from the decomposition of ethylene glycol and minimizes the rate of oxidation at the surface of the metal.

In refractories, the borax decahydrate is used as a stabilizer and bonding agent in specialty abrasives. Borax decahydrate also provides an intermediate-temperature glassy bond before the establishment of the ceramic bond.

Paper

Borax decahydrate is also part of the starch adhesive formulation for corrugated paper and paperboard. It is a cross-linking agent in the manufacture of casein-and dextrin-based adhesives, and it greatly improves the tack and green strength of such adhesives by cross linking conjugated hydroxyl groups.

Wire drawing

Borax decahydrate neutralizes the residual acid from the pickling stage, and the deposit of the salt remaining on the wire is valuable as a carrier of dry powdered lubricant.

And, more

Borax decahydrate doesn’t stop there. It’s also used as a flame retardant for cellulosic materials, a buffer and catalyst for organic dyes, a carrier for herbicides, and a degreasing buffer in enameling processes.

FACT

Boric Oxide

Borax decahydrate is gentle enough to use in soaps, detergents, and personal care products.

APPLICATIONS OF BORON

Borax decahydrate dissolves metal oxides for improved recovery of brass, copper, lead, and zinc.

TECHNICAL DETAILS

Available Grades

Technical Granular
MG Granular – North America and Asia Pacific
30/70 Mesh – North America and Asia Pacific
40/200 Mesh – North America and Asia Pacific
NF Granular – Americas
NF Powder – Americas
SQ Granular – North America
EP Granular – EMEAI
EP Powder – EMEAI
SP Granular – EMEAI
SP Powder – EMEAI

Borax decahydrate TG has a No. 8 U.S. sieve specification, with a mesh size of 2.36 mm and a retained guarantee of 0.1% or less. These specifications, as well as the product’s chemical properties, are determined by U.S. Borax analytical methods.

Dissolved in water, borax decahydrate hydrolyzes, producing a mildly alkaline solution that can neutralize acids. It also combines with strong alkalis to form compounds of lower pH. The relatively constant pH of borax decahydrate solutions makes it an excellent buffering agent.

Borax decahydrate is chemically stable under normal storage conditions, although it will slowly lose water of crystallization if exposed to a warm, dry atmosphere. Conversely, exposure to a humid atmosphere can cause caking. When storing the product, avoid wide fluctuations in temperature and humidity and ensure that the packaging is not damaged.

The product’s solubility in water; solubility in solvents such as glycerol, ethylene glycol, methanol, and acetone; and the product’s pH as compared to that of common alkalis can be found in the product data sheet.

Download product data sheet