Total boron
{{Short description|Sum of boron species in a solution}}
{{refimprove|date=June 2025}}
The total boron (BT) is the sum of boron species in a solution. In the environment these species usually include boric acid and borate, for example:
:BT = [{{chem2|H2BO3−}}] + [{{chem2|H3BO3}}]
where
- BT is the total boron concentration
- [{{chem2|H2BO3−}}] is the dihydrogen borate concentration
- [{{chem2|H3BO3}}] is the boric acid concentration.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NBPmsEZuH-AC&pg=RA12-PA8&dq=Total+boron+seawater+-wikipedia&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=|pages=5-8|title=Report of Investigations: Issues 5724-5736|year=1961|publisher=U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines|access-date=7 June 2025}}
In the early 21st Century, new methods of assessing and measuring the total boron were developed.{{cite journal|url=https://academic.oup.com/clinchem/article-abstract/47/10/1796/5639491|title=Atomic Emission Method for Total Boron in Blood during Neutron-Capture Therapy|first=Juha |last=Laakso|journal=Clinical Chemistry|volume=47|issue=10|date=1 October 2001|pages=1796–1803|doi=10.1093/clinchem/47.10.1796|access-date=7 June 2025}}{{cite journal|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0003267006006611|journal=Analytica Chimica Acta|volume=570|date=7 June 2006|pages=65-72|title=Basic study on the determination of total boron by conversion to tetrafluoroborate ion (BF4−) followed by ion chromatography|first1=Junya |last1=Katagiri|first2=Toshiaki |last2=Yoshioka|first3=Tadaaki |last3=Mizoguchi|accessdate=7 June 2025}}{{cite journal|url=https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2018/ja/c7ja00416h/unauth|title=Non-destructive quantification of total boron and its isotopic composition in boron based refractory materials by PIGE and an inter-comparison study using TIMS and titrimetry|journal=J. Anal. At. Spectrom.|first=R. |last=Acharya |year=2018|volume=33|pages=784-791|doi=10.1039/C7JA00416H|access-date=7 June 2025}}
Importance
{{see also|Plant nutrition|Boron deficiency (plant disorder)}}
Total boron is an important quantity when determining alkalinity due to borate's contribution to a solution's acid neutraling capacity. Total boron is a conservative element in seawater, and can thus be calculated by simply knowing the salinity.{{cn|date=June 2025}}
Total boron is also important for agriculture, since water soluble or "mobile" boron is an essential micronutrient, which means it is essential for plant growth and development, but is required in very small quantities.{{Cite journal |last1=Shireen |first1=Fareeha |last2=Nawaz |first2=Muhammad |last3=Chen |first3=Chen |last4=Zhang |first4=Qikai |last5=Zheng |first5=Zuhua |last6=Sohail |first6=Hamza |last7=Sun |first7=Jingyu |last8=Cao |first8=Haishun |last9=Huang |first9=Yuan |last10=Bie |first10=Zhilong |date=2018-06-24 |title=Boron: Functions and Approaches to Enhance Its Availability in Plants for Sustainable Agriculture |journal=International Journal of Molecular Sciences |language=en |volume=19 |issue=7 |pages=1856 |doi=10.3390/ijms19071856 |pmid=29937514 |pmc=6073895 |issn=1422-0067|doi-access=free }} Although Boron requirements vary among crops, the optimum boron content of the leaves for most crops is 20-100 ppm.{{Cite web |url=http://aesl.ces.uga.edu/docbase/publications/plant/plant.html |title=Plant Analysis Handbook for Georgia |access-date=2010-11-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130423002605/http://aesl.ces.uga.edu/docbase/publications/plant/plant.html |archive-date=2013-04-23 |url-status=dead }} Without enough Boron, plants develop Boron deficiency, which can destroy crops and thus lead to famine.
Boron is often used as a fertilizer in the form of Borax; however plants can't absorb the insoluble form of the boron in tourmaline.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=opF5efrsxx8C&pg=PA173&dq=%22Total+boron%22+-wikipedia&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=|pages=173-175|title=OTS. Issues 74-50016|publisher=United States. Department of Commerce. Office of Technical Services|year=1974|access-date=7 June 2025}}
Another reason why total boron is important is toxicity. While present in measurable quantities in all plants, excess total amounts harms the environment, including plants that cannot cope with the excess boron.[http://www.plantstress.com/articles/toxicity_i/boron.pdf Boron Toxicity] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715092356/http://www.plantstress.com/articles/toxicity_i/boron.pdf |date=July 15, 2011 }} Too much boric acid can be toxic, as can certain other boron compounds, to mammals, including humans, fish, and birds.{{cite book|pages=1-32|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lS-fbBrSeUkC&pg=PA3&dq=%22Total+boron%22+-wikipedia&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=|title=Boron Hazards to Fish, Wildlife, and Invertebrates: A Synoptic Review|first=Ronald |last=Eisler|publisher=U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service|year=1990|access-date=7 June 2025}}