Boron
Metalloid
Boron (B) is a chemical element with atomic number 5, classified as a metalloid. At room temperature it is a solid. It was discovered in 1808 by Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac, Louis Jacques Thénard.
Properties
- Atomic number
- 5
- Atomic mass
- 10.81 u
- Category
- Metalloid
- Group
- 13
- Period
- 2
- Block
- p-block
- Electron configuration
- [He] 2s² 2p¹
- Phase at STP
- Solid
- Density
- 2.34 g/cm³
- Melting point
- 2349 K (2075.8 °C)
- Boiling point
- 4200 K (3926.8 °C)
- Electronegativity
- 2.04
- Atomic radius
- 87 pm
- Ionization energy
- 8.298 eV
- Discovery
- 1808 · Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac, Louis Jacques Thénard
Common uses
Glass manufacturing, fertilizers, nuclear control rods
Did you know?
Essential for plant growth and found in household borax cleaning products.
Compounds you can make with boron
Boron appears in one compound in our periodic table sandbox. Each one is a real substance with its true chemical formula — combine the right elements in the right ratio below to discover it.
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BF3
Boron Trifluoride
A useful industrial catalyst with a flat, triangular shape.