Borate

Borates are the name for a large number of boron-containing oxoanions. The term "borates" may also more loosely refer to chemical compounds which contain borate anions. The simplest borate anion, BO₃3-, has a trigonal planar structure and is analogous to the carbonate anion CO₃2-, with which it is isoelectronic. Larger borates are composed of trigonal planar BO₃ or tetrahedral BO₄ structural units, joined together via shared oxygen atoms and may be cyclic or linear in structure. Borates are the form that boron most often occurs in in nature, mainly as borate minerals and borosilicates.