Thus, when boric acid is dissolved in pure (neutral) water, most of it will exist as tetrahydroxyborate ions.[citation needed]
With diols
In aqueous solution, the tetrahydroxyborate anion reacts with cis-vicinal diols (organic compounds containing similarly-oriented hydroxyl groups in adjacent carbon atoms), (R1,R2)=C(OH)−C(OH)=(R3,R4)) such as mannitol, sorbitol, glucose and glycerol, to form anion esters containing one or two five-member −B−O−C−C−O− rings.[4]
For example, the reaction with mannitol can be written as
These mannitoborate esters are fairly stable and thus depletes the tetrahydroxyborate from the solution.[5][6][3]
The addition of mannitol to an initially neutral solution containing boric acid or borates lowers the pH enough for the be titrated by a strong base as NaOH, including with an automated a potentiometric titrator. This is a reliable method to assay the amount of borate content present in the solution.[3]
Other chemical reactions
Upon treatment with a strong acid, a metal tetrahydroxyborate converts to boric acid and the metal salt.
Oxidation of tetrahydroxyborate gives the perborate anion [B2O4(OH)4]2−:
2[B(OH)4]− + 2O → [B2O4(OH)4]2− + 2H2O
When heated to a high temperature, tetrahydroxyborate salts decompose to produce metaborate salts and water, or to produce boric acid and a metal hydroxide:
n[B(OH)4]− → (([BO2]−)n) + 2nH2O
[B(OH)4]− → B(OH)3 + HO−
Production
Tetrahydroxyborate salts are produced by treating boric acid with an alkali such as sodium hydroxide, with catalytic amounts of water. Other borate salts may be obtained by altering the process conditions.
Uses
Tetrahydroxyborate can be used as a cross-link in polymers.
Occurrence
The tetrahydroxyborate anion is found in Na[B(OH)4],[7] Na2[B(OH)4]Cl and CuII[B(OH)4]Cl.
^Glossary of Geology,5th edition, 2005, ISBN978-0922152766 ed. by Julia A. Jackson, James P. Mehl, Klaus K. E. Neuendorf, American Geological Institute
^Lyman F. Kebler (1894): "On the interaction of borax, carbonates and polyhydric alcohols; also on the composition of borax". Journal of the Franklin Institute, volume 138, issue 3, pages 236-239. doi:10.1016/0016-0032(94)90292-5
^NIST Special Publication. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1969.
^Mendham, J.; Denney, R. C.; Barnes, J. D.; Thomas, M. J. K. (2000), Vogel's Quantitative Chemical Analysis (6th ed.), New York: Prentice Hall, p. 357, ISBN0-582-22628-7.