Preparation of boric-10 acid applied in nuclear industry

Because of the superior features of boron-10 isotope in absorbing hot neutrons, boric-10 acid (H3 10BO3) has been used widely in nuclear industry. Boric-10 acid is obtained from boron-10 trifluoride (10BF3) by esterification and hydrolyzation. In this study, trimethyl borate-10 [(CH3O)3 10B] was prepared from boron-10 trifluoride (10BF3) through chemical exchange rectification. In addition, the hydrolyzation of trimethyl borate-10 was investigated with different pH values, temperatures and molar ratios of water to trimethyl borate-10. Under the optimum process conditions, high yield of boric-10 acid with nuclear industrial purity grade was realized.