COLUMBATES, PHOSPHAT1> \ \\AD\TI- 523 



001 A 100; 1001 A 10 = 4630'; 001*~101 =29 54'; 001*011 = 28 

 L'l'; ('..mmon forms, a (100), c(001), b (010), n(110), o(!ll , 

 / --1); Twinning plane a; Cleavage, orthopinacoichil perfect, 

 m less so; Brittle; Fracture, conchoidal ; H. = 2-2.5 ; G. = 1.69- 

 1.72; Color, white, gray, or pale blue or green; Streak, white; 

 Luster, vitreous to earthy; Transparent to opaque ; a = 1.446; 

 p = 1.469; Y = 1.472; y - a = .026; Optically ( - ); Axial 

 plane 010 ; Bx A c = 71 35' in the obtuse angle ; 2 E = 59 18'. 



B.B. Fuses easily with intumescence to a clear bead. With 

 Tumor's flux yields a green flame. Soluble in water, the solution 

 reacts for boric acid with turmeric paper. Has a sweetish, alkaline 

 taste. 



General description. Crystals prismatic in habit, often large, 

 some from the California lake regions weigh as much as a pound 

 each. More often granular, earthy, and impure. This crude, 

 impure borax is sold in the trade as tincal, and was first brought 

 from the borax lakes of Tibet. Owing to its solubility in water, 

 borax is found associated with deposits formed by the concentration 

 of the waters of certain lakes. Such lakes are found in the West, as 

 in San Bernardino County, California, where the borax is associated 

 with gypsum, anhydrite, thenardite, glauberite, hanksite, halite, 

 colemanite, and trona. It is also found in the saline lakes and 

 marshes of Nevada and Oregon, and at other localities in Cali- 

 fornia ; associated with the soda niter in Chili and the salt deposits 

 of Stassfurt, Germany ; in the hot springs of the Yellowstone Park 

 and in sea water. The origin of the borax in all these deposits is 

 uncertain ; at Stassfurt it has been by concentration of the solu- 

 tions, while in numerous other localities its origin may be traced 

 to volcanic and fumarole action. Sassolite, H 3 BOs, or the ortho- 

 boric acid, is found in solution in the waters issuing from the 

 fumaroles of Tuscany; from these solutions it is recovered by 

 evaporation. 



Owing to the varied properties of borax, it finds many and widely 

 different uses. When fused it dissolves the oxides of the metals, 

 yielding characteristically colored glasses which form the color base 

 in stained glass. It is used in soldering to dissolve the oxides from 

 the surface of the metals ; as a flux in the melting and purification 

 of the precious metals ; in the manufacture of enamel and granite 

 ware and in encaustic tiles. From its cleansing powers it is used 



