Borax Mineral Data

Borax Mineral Data
Search Webmineral :
   
Home Crystal jmol jPOWD Chem X Ray Dana Strunz Properties A to Z Images Share
      News Help About


General Borax Information

Help on Chemical Formula: Chemical Formula: Na2B4O5(OH)4•8(H2O)
Help on Composition: Composition: Molecular Weight = 381.37 gm
   Sodium    12.06 %  Na   16.25 % Na2O
   Boron     11.34 %  B    36.51 % B2O3
   Hydrogen   5.29 %  H    47.24 % H2O
   Oxygen    71.32 %  O
            ______        ______ 
            100.00 %      100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE
Help on Empirical Formula: Empirical Formula: Na2(B4O5)(OH)4•8(H2O)
Help on IMA Status: IMA Status: Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1753
Help on Locality: Locality: Link to MinDat.org Location Data.
Help on Name Origin: Name Origin: From the Arabic buraq, for "white."
Help on Name Pronunciation: Name Pronunciation: Borax Say BORAX
Help on Synonym: Synonym: ICSD 30506
  PDF 33-1215
  Tincal
 

Borax Image

Click Here for Larger Borax Image in a New Browser Window Images:
Click Here for Larger Borax Image

Borax

Comments: Translucent crystal of borax preserved in oil to prevent dehydration to tincalconite.
Location: Searles Lake, San Bernardino County, California, USA. Scale: See Photo.
© Jeff Weissman / Photographic Guide to Mineral Species

Borax Crystallography
Help on Axial Ratios: Axial Ratios: a:b:c =1.1109:1:1.1873
Help on Cell Dimensions: Cell Dimensions: a = 11.858, b = 10.674, c = 12.674, Z = 4; beta = 106.583° V = 1,537.46 Den(Calc)= 1.65
Help on Crystal System: Crystal System: Monoclinic - PrismaticH-M Symbol (2/m) Space Group: A2/a
Help on X Ray Diffraction: X Ray Diffraction: By Intensity(I/Io): 4.82(1), 5.68(0.9), 2.56(0.65),
Help on Forms: Forms:

Mouse
Dbl Clk - Start-Stop Rotation
RMB - Cycle Display Modes
Drag1 - Manipulate Crystal
Drag2 - Resize
Keyboard
S - Stereo
I - Indicies
<space> - Start-Stop Rotation
F - Fit to Screen
M - Menu
Help on Above

Forms: ( 1 1 1) ( 1 1 2) ( 0 1 0) ( 1 0 0) ( 1 1 0) ( 0 0 1)

Warning: this large pop-up is very compute intensive and may not work well with some computers.
Click Here for Large Borax Structure Window Crystal Structure:

Mouse
drag1 - LMB Manipulate Structure
drag2 - RMB Resize/Rotate
Keyboard
S - Stereo Pair on/off
H - Help Screen
I - Data Info
A - Atoms On/Off
P - Polyhedra On/Off
B - Bonds On/Off
 Help on Above


Levy H A , Lisensky G C , Acta Crystallographica, Section B , 34 (1978) p.3502-3510, Crystal structures of sodium sulfate decahydrate (Glauber s salt) and sodium, tetraborate decahydrate (borax). Redetermination by neutron diffraction, Locality: synthetic, Note: anisoU s from ICSD

 

Physical Properties of Borax

Help on Cleavage: Cleavage: {100} Perfect, {110} Perfect
Help on Color: Color: Blue, Colorless, Green, Gray, Gray white.
Help on Density: Density: 1.7 - 1.72, Average = 1.71
Help on Diaphaneity: Diaphaneity: Translucent to opaque
Help on Fracture: Fracture: Brittle - Conchoidal - Very brittle fracture producing small, conchoidal fragments.
Help on Habit: Habit: Massive - Uniformly indistinguishable crystals forming large masses.
Help on Habit: Habit: Prismatic - Crystals Shaped like Slender Prisms (e.g. tourmaline).
Help on Habit: Habit: Tabular - Form dimensions are thin in one direction.
Help on Hardness: Hardness: 2-2.5 - Gypsum-Finger Nail
Help on Luminescence: Luminescence: Non-fluorescent.
Help on Luster: Luster: Greasy (Oily)
Help on Streak: Streak: white
 

Optical Properties of Borax

Help on Gladstone-Dale: Gladstone-Dale: CI meas= -0.003 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= -0.039 (Excellent) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.2805,KPDmeas= 0.2707,KC= 0.27
Ncalc = 1.45 - 1.46
Help on Optical Data: Optical Data: Biaxial (-), a=1.447, b=1.469-1.47, g=1.472, bire=0.0250, 2V(Calc)=32-40, 2V(Meas)=39-40. Dispersion r > v distinct.
Help on Pleochroism (x): Pleochroism (x): colorless.
Help on Pleochroism (y): Pleochroism (y): colorless.
Help on Pleochroism (z): Pleochroism (z): colorless.
 

Calculated Properties of Borax

Help on Electron Density: Electron Density: Bulk Density (Electron Density)=1.78 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Borax =1.71 gm/cc.
Help on Fermion Index: Fermion Index: Fermion Index = 0.02
Boson Index = 0.98
Help on Photoelectric: Photoelectric: PEBorax = 0.47 barns/electron
U=PEBorax x rElectron Density= 0.84 barns/cc.
Help on Radioactivity: Radioactivity: GRapi = 0 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Borax is Not Radioactive
 

Borax Classification
Help on Dana Class: Dana Class: 26.04.01.01 (26)Hydrated Borates Containing Hydroxyl or Halogen
  (26.04)Dana Type
  (26.04.01)Dana Group
 
26.04.01.01 Borax Na2B4O5(OH)4•8(H2O) A2/a 2/m
Help on Strunz Class: Strunz Class: 06.DA.10 06 - BORATES
  06.D - Tetraborates
  06.DA -Neso-tetraborates
 
06.DA.10 Borax Na2B4O5(OH)4•8(H2O) A2/a 2/m
 

Other Borax Information
Help on See Also: See Also: Links to other databases for Borax :
1 - Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database
2 - Amethyst Galleries' Mineral Gallery
3 - Athena
4 - EUROmin Project
5 - Ecole des Mines de Paris
6 - GeoScienceWorld
7 - Google Images
8 - Google Scholar
9 - Handbook of Mineralogy (MinSocAm)
10 - Handbook of Mineralogy (UofA)
11 - MinDAT
12 - Mineral and Gemstone Kingdom
13 - Mineralienatlas (Deutsch)
14 - Online Mineral Museum
15 - QUT Mineral Atlas
16 - Ruff.Info
17 - WWW-MINCRYST

Search for Borax using:

Google
 
Web webmineral.com
[AOL] [Bing] [Dog Pile] [GeoScienceWorld] [HotBot] [Ixquick] [Lycos] [MAMMA] [Scirus] [Teoma] [WebCrawler] [Wikipedia] [YAHOO]

Visit our Advertisers for Borax :

A Bijoux Google Search for Borax
Adam's Minerals Google Search for Borax
Cape Minerals Google Search for Borax
Dakota Matrix Minerals Google Search for Borax
Excalibur Mineral Corp. Google Search for Borax
Exceptional Minerals Google Search for Borax
John Betts Fine Minerals Search for Borax
McDougall Minerals Google Search for Borax
Mineral News Website Link
Rock and Mineral Shows Google Search for Borax
Weinrich Minerals, Inc. Google Search for Borax

Ask about Borax here :
Ask-A-Mineralogist from the Mineralogical Society of America
Mindat.org's Discussion Groups
Original Rockhounds Discussion Group
Rockhounds Discussion Group on Yahoo Groups
Mineral Discussion Forum from Fabre Minerals - also available in Espaņol

Print or Cut-and-Paste your Borax Specimen Label here :

Borax

Na2B4O5(OH)4•8(H2O)
Dana No: 26.04.01.01 Strunz No: 06.DA.10
Locality:

 

Notes: