Borate phosphates are anion compounds that contain both borate and phosphate anions. They differ from borophosphates in that the borate is linked to the phosphate via a common oxygen atom. When compared to borophosphates, borate phosphates have a higher ratio of cations to borates and phosphates.
NADH-borate is an example of an organic ester of both borate and phosphate.
Production
Ingredients are heated together at atmospheric pressure in the high-temperature method. The products are anhydrous, and borophosphate production is likely. In the boron flux method, ingredients such as ammonium phosphate and metal carbonate are dissolved in an excess of molten boric acid.
Borate ions can be found alone or in combination with other anions in a variety of borate and borosilicate minerals, including borax, boracite, ulexite (boronatrocalcite), and colemanite. Borates are also found in seawater, where they contribute significantly to the absorption of low frequency sound.
Borates are also found in plants, including nearly all fruits.
Physiology
Borate anions are mostly found in aqueous solutions as undissociated acids at physiological pH. Animals and plants both have no further metabolism. Following oral ingestion, boric acid/borate salts are essentially completely absorbed in animals. Although quantitative data are unavailable, absorption occurs through inhalation. According to limited data, boric acid/salts are not absorbed significantly through intact skin, but are absorbed through severely abraded skin. It circulates throughout the body, is not retained in tissues (except bone), and is excreted rapidly in the urine.
Use
Borate phosphates are of interest in research because of their optical, electrooptical, and magnetic properties.
Sodium metaborate (NaBO2) and borax are two common borate salts. Because borax is soluble in water, mineral deposits can only be found in areas with very little rainfall. From 1883 to 1889, extensive deposits were discovered in Death Valley and shipped with twenty-mule teams. Deposits were discovered in Boron, California, on the outskirts of the Mojave Desert, in 1925. Mineable borate concentrations can also be found in Chile’s Atacama Desert.
