It is used as an antiseptic, insecticide, flame retardant, and a precursor to other chemical compounds. It is also used as a buffer agent for pH regulation.
It is also used as an ingredient in many foliar fertilizers and food preservation such as shellfish, although its use is currently illegal.
Boric acid is a poisonous white powder, and contrary to what scientists claim, it is only soluble in cold water. Smelling and / or eating it can lead to some minor discomforts such as diarrhea, vomiting, and even death.
Effects of heat: in a closed environment it melts at 171º C. In an open environment, heating above 100º C produces a gradual loss of water, passing successively through meta-boric acid (HBO2), tetraboric acid (H2B4O7), to finally arrive to boric anhydride (B2O3) that melts at 450º C.
Stability: It is stable at room temperature and is volatilized by water vapor or carried by it without decomposition.