B

Boron is a dark, brittle, and lustrous metalloid that conducts electricity like a metal at high temperatures and is almost an insulator at low temperatures. Boron is primarily used in chemical compounds. It is used as an additive in fiberglass for insulation and structural materials, in ceramics and polymers in high-strength, lightweight and heat-resistant materials, as a dopant in semiconductors to modify electrical conductivity, and in the nuclear industry due to its neutron absorption ability. Boron is also an essential plant nutrient and is used in some antibiotics, in abrasives, cleaning products, and insecticides. Boron is found naturally combined in compounds such as borax (a salt) and boric acid or its mineral form, sassolite.  These compounds and other boron minerals can be found in volcanic fumaroles and hot springs, deposited from steam, as well as in lagoons and sedimentary evaporite deposits. Boron is also found as a component in oilfield brines along with lithium and other salts. The continued rise in boron demand is expected to fuel growth in world production over the next few years.