Definition and Uses :
Borax, also known as sodium borate, sodium tetraborate or disodium tetraborate, is an important boron compound, a mineral, and a salt of boric acid. Borax in powder form is white, consists of soft colorless crystals, and is easily soluble in water. Some closely related minerals or chemical compounds that differ in their crystal water content are called borax, but the word usually means decahydrate. Borax sold commercially is partially dehydrated.
Borax is an ingredient in many detergents, cosmetics and enamel glazes. It is used to make buffer solutions in biochemistry, as a flame retardant, in the manufacture of antifungal compounds, as a fiberglass compound, as a flux in metallurgy, as a radioactive source, as a tissue agent for cooking neutron capture shields, and as a precursor to other boron compounds and, together with boric acid, as an insecticide.