When aqueous solution of borax isacidified with hydrochloric acid,a white crystalline solid is formed which is soapy to touch . Is thissolidacidic or basic in nature ? Explain.

When aqueous solution of borax isacidified with hydrochloric acid,a wh

1.	When aqueous solution of borax isacidified with hydrochloric acid,a white crystalline solid is formed which is soapy to touch . Is thissolidacidic or basic in nature ? Explain.
Answer» Solution :When an aqueoussolution of borax is acidifiedwith HCl,boric acid is formed. `underset("Borax")(Na_(2)B_(4)O_7)+2HCl + 5H_(2)O rarr2NaCl + underset("Boric acid")(4H_(3)BO_(3))`. Boric ACIDIS a white crystalline solid. Due to its planar layered structure , it is soapy to touch . it is not a protonic acidsince it does not ionize in aqueous solution to liberate `H^(+)` ions. HOWEVER,due to SMALL size of boron and presenceof only sixelectrons in its VALENCE shell, `B(OH)_(3)` accepts a pair of electrons from OXYGENATOM of a molecule of `H_(2)O`releasing a proton. Thus, it acts as Lewis acid.