chemistry

Zinc borate

Zinc borate is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Zinc borate rather than just read about it. In short: Zinc borate refers to a family of inorganic compounds consisting of borate of zinc. They are white solids with the formulas: ZnO·B2O3·1.12H2O ZnO·B2O3·~ 2H2O ZnO·5B2O3·4.5H2O 2ZnO·3B2O3·3H2O 2ZnO·3B2O3·7H2O 3ZnO·5B2O3·14H2O 4ZnO·B2O3·H2O 6ZnO·5B2O3·3H2O They are coordination polymers consisting of zinc(II) centers bonded to cyclic boron oxide rings.

Key takeaways

Zinc borate belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Zinc borate to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Zinc borate from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Zinc borate refers to a family of inorganic compounds consisting of borate of zinc. They are white solids with the formulas:

ZnO·B2O3·1.12H2O ZnO·B2O3·~ 2H2O ZnO·5B2O3·4.5H2O 2ZnO·3B2O3·3H2O 2ZnO·3B2O3·7H2O 3ZnO·5B2O3·14H2O 4ZnO·B2O3·H2O 6ZnO·5B2O3·3H2O They are coordination polymers consisting of zinc(II) centers bonded to cyclic boron oxide rings.

Variants Several variants of zinc borate exist, differing by the zinc/boron ratio and the water content:

Zinc borate Firebrake ZB (2ZnO·3B2O3·3.5H2O), CAS number 138265-88-0 Zinc borate Firebrake 500 (2ZnO3·3B2O3), CAS number 12767-90-7 Zinc borate Firebrake 415 (4ZnO·B2O3·H2O), CAS number 149749-62-2 ZB-467 (4ZnO·6B2O3·7H2O), CAS number 1332-07-6 ZB-223 (2ZnO·2B2O3·3H2O), CAS number 1332-07-6 The hydrated variants lose water between 290–415 °C (554–779 °F).

Uses Zinc borate is primarily used as a flame retardant in plastics and cellulose fibers, paper, rubbers and textiles. It is also used in paints, adhesives, and pigments. As a flame retardant, it can replace antimony(III) oxide as a synergist in both halogen-based and halogen-free systems. It is an anti-dripping and char-promoting agent, and suppresses the afterglow. In electrical insulator plastics it suppresses arcing and tracking. In halogen-containing systems, zinc borate is used together with antimony trioxide and alumina trihydrate. It catalyzes formation of char and creates a protective layer of glass. Zinc catalyzes the release of halogens by forming zinc halides and zinc oxyhalides. In halogen-free system, zinc borate can be used together with alumina trihydrate, magnesium hydroxide, red phosphorus, or ammonium polyphosphate. During burning the plastics, a porous borate ceramics is formed that protects the underlying layers. In presence of silica, borosilicate glass can be formed at plastic burning temperatures. Zinc borate is used in polyvinyl chloride, polyolefins, polyamides, epoxy resins, polyesters, thermoplastic elastomers, rubbers, etc. It is also used in some intumescent systems. Zinc borate has synergistic effect with zinc phosphate or barium borate as a corrosion inhibitor pigment. Zinc borate acts as a broad-spectrum fungicide in plastics and wood products. Zinc borate can be used as a flux in some ceramics. In electrical insulators it improves the ceramics properties.

References

External links Zinc borate in the Pesticide Properties DataBase (PPDB)

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Zinc borate

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Zinc borate claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Zinc borate before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Zinc borate ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Zinc borate

In research: Zinc borate appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Zinc borate in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Zinc borate is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Borates, Corrosion inhibitors, Flame retardants, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Zinc borate outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Zinc borate in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Zinc borate means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Zinc borate out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Zinc borate in simple terms?

Zinc borate refers to a family of inorganic compounds consisting of borate of zinc. They are white solids with the formulas: ZnO·B2O3·1.12H2O ZnO·B2O3·~ 2H2O ZnO·5B2O3·4.5H2O 2ZnO·3B2O3·3H2O 2ZnO·3B2O3·7H2O 3ZnO·5B2O3·14H2O 4ZnO·B2O3·H2O 6ZnO·5B2O3·3H2O They are coordination polymers consisting of…

Why does Zinc borate matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Zinc borate?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Zinc borate.