Question

Which of the following statements about $H_3BO_3$ is not correct?
A.It is a strong tribasic acid.
B.It is prepared by acidifying an aqueous solution of borax.
C.It has a layer structure in which planar borate ions are joined by hydrogen bonding.
D.None of these

Answer 1

The boric acid is also known as Hydrogen borate and is a weak acid. It is the Lewis acid of Boron. A Lewis acid is the one which can accept a pair of electrons from the non- bonding electrons. Thus it is an electron acceptor.

Complete step by step answer:
A molecule with an incomplete octet of electrons can accept electrons and all the cations are Lewis acids since they accept the electrons as they are electron deficient whereas all anions are Lewis bases since they donate the electrons as they are electron rich.
But according to the view of the Bronsted Lowry concept it appears to be tribal in nature. This concept states that a substance can show acidic behaviour only in the presence of the base and the base can show acidic behaviour only in the presence of the acid. When an acidic substance loses a proton it forms the base known as the conjugate base of that acid similarly, when a basic substance gains the proton it forms the acid and is known as the conjugate acid of the base.
It is the weak monobasic acid of Boron form by accepting the lone pair of electrons and is also prepared in the acidified aqueous solution of the Borax.
The preparation of the Boric acid from Borax is given below:
$N{a_2}{B_4}{O_7}.10{H_2}O + 2HCl \to {H_3}B{O_3} + 2NaCl + 5{H_2}O$
It also forms the hydrogen bonds in which the planar borate ions are arranged in the form of the layers in its crystalline form.
Thus option A is incorrect that it is a strong tribasic acid instead of it is a weak monobasic acid.

Note:
Boric acid is used as an antiseptic and neutron absorber and it exists in the form of the white powder and is commonly used as a precursor to many other chemical compounds. The mineral form of the Boric acid is known as Sassolite.