Sodium metaborate

Sodium metaborate is an inorganic sodium borate commonly represented by NaBO₂. It forms hydrated crystalline compounds, including the tetrahydrate.

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Borate: A borate is a compound or ion containing boron and oxygen, often with additional elements. Sodium metaborate belongs to this broad family of boron–oxygen compounds.
Dissolution: Dissolution is the process by which a solute disperses into a solvent to form a solution. In water, sodium metaborate separates into solvated species rather than remaining as intact formula units.
Borax: Borax is a hydrated sodium tetraborate commonly sold as Na₂B₄O₇·10H₂O or a related hydrate. Borax is a distinct sodium borate often encountered alongside sodium metaborate in practical formulations.
Sodium tetraborate: Sodium tetraborate is a sodium borate containing the tetraborate anion, commonly encountered as borax. Its B₄O₅(OH)₄²⁻-type units and formula differ from metaborate's BO₂⁻ representation.
Sodium: Sodium is a soft, highly reactive alkali metal with atomic number 11. Sodium ions balance the negative charge of the metaborate anion.
Hydrolysis: Hydrolysis is a reaction in which water participates in breaking or transforming chemical bonds. Borate species in aqueous solution exchange protons with water and establish pH-dependent equilibria.
Glassmaking: Glassmaking is the manufacture of glass by melting silica with modifiers and other ingredients. Borate compounds can supply boron oxide to glass compositions and alter their properties.
Sodium perborate: Sodium perborate is a sodium boron–oxygen compound containing peroxide-like bonds, used as an oxidizing bleach. Despite the similar name, perborate's oxidizing chemistry comes from oxygen–oxygen bonds absent in metaborate.
Boron: Boron is a metalloid with atomic number 5 that forms diverse compounds with oxygen and other elements. Boron–oxygen bonding defines the anion in sodium metaborate.
Borate speciation: Borate speciation is the distribution of boron among different dissolved borate ions and boric acid forms. The dissolved form depends on concentration, pH, and the balance among borate species.