Studies Of Crystalline Nonmetal Borates

Boron compounds in which boron is bound only to oxygen find a wide range of industrial applications, most important of which is the manufacture of various types of glass. Crystalline oxoborates are extensive & structurally diverse with over 200 minerals & many more synthetic borates known. Structures of these compounds can be represented in a binary fashion as consisting of an anionic borate structural unit & a cationic interstitial complex. The vast majority of known borates contain metal cations that serve as Lewis acid acceptors in coordination with oxygen of the structural unit & often with interstitial water. Oxoborates containing nonmetal interstitial complexes have been studied to a far lesser extent.