Borate ion (BO₃³⁻)
- Charge
- −3
- Atoms
- B, O × 3
- Atoms in total
- 4
- Mass of the ion
- 58.807 g/mol
This borate ion, also called orthoborate, is one boron atom bonded to three oxygen atoms in a flat triangle, with a 3− charge. Boron is in the +3 state, and three oxygens at −2 each give 3 − 6 = −3, making it the ion of boric acid, H₃BO₃, with all three hydrogens removed. The wider borate family is found in laundry boosters, homemade slime and heat-resistant borosilicate glass.
- The name borate also covers larger ions built from linked boron and oxygen atoms, such as the tetraborate in borax.
- Borax, Na₂B₄O₇·10H₂O, is the borate that links glue molecules together to make slime.
- Boric acid, H₃BO₃, is a mild antiseptic and a common insecticide used against cockroaches.