The Fifth Position in the Periodic Table Belongs to Boron

Despite the very low proportion of boron in the Earth's crust, boron and its compounds have found wide application in practical life and in scientific research. The article presents the importance of this element for plants and for humans. It enumerates the properties of boron and its compounds for the technical use in the preparation of glass, glass fibres, highly resistant and hard materials for industrial applications and for nuclear technology. It also mentions the use of boron compounds in medicine and synthetic chemistry.