Boron reactivity

Kiss [8] examined various techniques for the efficient separation and preconcentration of boron from marine sediments. Alkaline fusion with potassium carbonate was used to render boron reactive, even in the most resistant silicate minerals. Fusion cakes were extracted with water and borate was isolated by Amberlite XE-243 boron-selective resin. Borate was determined spectrophotometrically, following elution with 2 mol L 1 hydrochloric acid. Either the carminic acid complex (620nm), formed in sulphuric acid (94%) or sulphuric acetic acid (1 4), or the azomethine hydrogen ion association complex (415nm) formed at pH5.2, were used for borate measurement. 

Rusek A, Sokolowski M, SokolowskaA (1981) Eormation of E-phase BN layers and shock-wave compressed BN on boron as a result of boron reactive electro-erosion. J Mater Sd 16 2021-2023... 

The primary circuit (Fig7.2.2.) includes the reactor coolant flow path and pressurizing system enclosed in the reactor pressure vessel, as well as the purification and boron reactivity control system connected to the reactor when the plant is in operation. 

The purification and boron reactivity control system serves to maintain the required primary coolant quality during operation and for periodic removal of excessive boron (15-20 times for core life) thus compensating the fuel bumup. The system includes a recuperator, cooler, pumps and ion-exchangers. 

There is the possibility of building up an extensive systematic chemistry of compounds containing boron-nitrogen bonds, analogous to the chemistry of carbon-carbon bonds but the reactivity of the B—bond is much greater than that of the C—C bond, so that we get physical, but not chemical, resemblances between analogous compounds. 

Boron trifluoride is a colourless, reactive gas which can be prepared by heating boron tnoxide and fluorspar with concentrated sulphuric acid. 

Cl increases the Lewis acidity of boron making it a more reactive reagent... 

From these results it appears that the 5-position of thiazole is two to three more reactive than the 4-position, that methylation in the 2-position enhances the rate of nitration by a factor of 15 in the 5-position and of 8 in the 4-position, that this last factor is 10 and 14 for 2-Et and 2-t-Bu groups, respectively. Asato (374) and Dou (375) arrived at the same figure for the orientation of the nitration of 2-methyl and 2-propylthiazole Asato used nitronium fluoroborate and the dinitrogen tetroxide-boron trifluoride complex at room temperature, and Dou used sulfonitric acid at 70°C (Table T54). About the same proportion of 4-and 5-isomers was obtained in the nitration of 2-methoxythiazole by Friedmann (376). Recently, Katritzky et al. (377) presented the first kinetic studies of electrophilic substitution in thiazoles the nitration of thiazoles and thiazolones (Table 1-55). The reaction was followed spec-trophotometrically and performed at different acidities by varying the... 

Fluorochloro, fluorobromo, and fluoroiodoalkanes react selectively with aromatics under boron trifluoride catalysis to provide chloro-, bromo- and iodoalkylated products (48). The higher reactivity of the C—F bond over C—Cl, C—Br, and C—I bonds under Lewis acid catalysis results in the observed products. 

Cationic polymerization of coal-tar fractions has been commercially achieved through the use of strong protic acids, as well as various Lewis acids. Sulfuric acid was the first polymerization catalyst (11). More recent technology has focused on the Friedel-Crafts polymerization of coal fractions to yield resins with higher softening points and better color. Typical Lewis acid catalysts used in these processes are aluminum chloride, boron trifluoride, and various boron trifluoride complexes (12). Cmde feedstocks typically contain 25—75% reactive components and may be refined prior to polymerization (eg, acid or alkali treatment) to remove sulfur and other undesired components. Table 1 illustrates the typical components found in coal-tar fractions and their corresponding properties. 

The third control is by use of a fixed burnable poison. This consists of rods containing a mixture of aluminum oxide and boron carbide, included in the initial fuel loading using the vacant spaces in some of the fuel assembhes that do not have control clusters. The burnable poison is consumed during operation, causing a reactivity increase that helps counteract the drop owing to fuel consumption. It also reduces the need for excessive initial soluble boron. Other reactors use gadolinium as burnable poison, sometimes mixed with the fuel. 

Control of the core is affected by movable control rods which contain neutron absorbers soluble neutron absorbers ia the coolant, called chemical shim fixed burnable neutron absorbers and the intrinsic feature of negative reactivity coefficients. Gross changes ia fission reaction rates, as well as start-up and shutdown of the fission reactions, are effected by the control rods. In a typical PWR, ca 90 control rods are used. These, iaserted from the top of the core, contain strong neutron absorbers such as boron, cadmium, or hafnium, and are made up of a cadmium—iadium—silver alloy, clad ia stainless steel. The movement of the control rods is governed remotely by an operator ia the control room. Safety circuitry automatically iaserts the rods ia the event of an abnormal power or reactivity transient. 

The most common catalysts in order of decreasing reactivity are haUdes of aluminum, boron, zinc, and kon (76). Alkali metals and thek alcoholates, amines, nitriles, and tetraalkylureas have been used (77—80). The largest commercial processes use a resin—catalyst system (81). Trichlorosilane refluxes in a bed of anion-exchange resin containing tertiary amino or quaternary ammonium groups. Contact time can be used to control disproportionation to dichlorosilane, monochlorosilane, or silane. 

Conversion to a more facile, sulfur-derived, leaving group can be achieved by treatment with sodium thiosulfate or salts of thio and dithio acids (75,87). Under anhydrous conditions, boron tribromide converts the 3 -acetoxy group to a bromide whereas trimethyl silyl iodide gives good yields of the 3 -iodide (87,171,172). These 3 -halides are much more reactive, even when the carboxyl group is esterified, and can be displaced readily by cyano and by oxygen nucleophiles (127). 

Crystalline boron is very inert. Low purity, higher temperatures, and changes in or lack of crystallinity all increase the chemical reactivity. Hot concentrated H2SO4—HNO at 2 1 ratio can be used to dissolve boron for chemical analysis but boron is not soluble in boiling HE or HCl. Boron is also unreactive toward concentrated NaOH up to 500°C. At room temperature, boron reacts with E2, but only superficially with O2. 

Boron trichlorides are highly reactive, toxic, and corrosive these ttihaUdes (BCl, BBr, BI ) react vigorously, even explosively, with water. High temperature decomposition of BX can yield toxic halogen-containing fumes. Safe handling, especially of BCl, has been reviewed (11,80). 

The first definitive studies of boron hydrides were carried out by Alfred Stock in Germany starting about 1912 (1). Through extensive and now classic synthetic studies, the field of boron hydride chemistry was founded with the isolation of a series of highly reactive, air-sensitive, and volatile compounds of general composition and This accomplishment required the development of basic vacuum line techniques for the... 

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