Iron monoboride

Iron monoboride, FeB, is readily formed by heating iron in a stream of vaporised boron chloride. It also results when iron and boron are heated together in the electric furnace.6 Obtained in this way iron boride forms brilliant yellow-grey crystals, of density 7T5 at 18° C. It does not alter in dry air or oxygen, but moist air renders it ochreous. Chlorine and bromine attack it at red heat and, when heated in oxygen, it burns brilliantly. 

CuS04 5H20 COPPER SULFATE PENTAHYDRATE 631 FeB IRON MONOBORIDE 678... 

Apart from the diborides, also some monoborides are technically important. Most of them are used as hard components in composite materials. One notable compound is FeB. It has a remarkable adhesiveness on iron-based materials and thus increases their hardness. Such hard coatings are produced via CVD techniques. As an intermediate product elementary boron is obtained through the reaction 2BCI3 -I- 3H2 — 2B -1- 6HC1 between 500 and 900°C, which subsequently reacts with iron to form the FeB coating [32,34]. 

Car] Carbucicchio, M., Palombarini, G., Rateo, M., Sambogna, G., High Temperature Solid State Reactivity between Iron and Chromium Monoborides , Hyperfine Interact., 116, 143-148 (1998) (Phase Relations, Experimental, Kinetics, 10)... 

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