boron and its applications in cancer treatment.

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BORON AND ITS APPLICATIONS IN CANCER TREATMENT
BY
ABUBAKAR MUSA
ADM.NO, 1210312003
A SEMINAR PRESENTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF PURE AND APPLIED
CHEMISTRY, FACULTY OF SCINENCE, USMANU DANFODIYO UNIVERSITY,
SOKOTO, IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF
THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (B.SC HONOURS) APPLIED
CHEMISTRY.
SUPERVISED BY:
DR.M. N. ALMUSTAPHA
MAY, 2017

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SUMMARY
This paper is an overview of boron and its application in cancer treatments, boron is
very hard colourless crystalline metalloid element that exists as brown amorphous
powder and occur principally as Borax. There are various ways of treating cancer,
Boron as (BNCT) is use to treat cancer because of its ability to absorbed neutron were
all tumor cells were selectively destroyed without damaging normal tissues. The
important of Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) over other therapies used in
treating cancer is that (BNCT) can only destroy cancer cell without damaging normal
cells.

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INTRODUTION
Boron is very hard almost colorless crystalline element that exist as brown amorphous
powder and occur principally as Borax (sodium tetra borate) Na2B4O7.H2O. The name
came from Arabic word Buraq "white" Borax is the same in French, German and in
English, but the element is bor, In Spanish,Boron has atomic number 5 (five) and 3
valence electron in it outer shell and also atomic weight of 10.81 (Garrett,2002)
Boron exist in all three states of matter that is solid, liquid and gas phases. It melts at
2348k (2075oC), boils at 4000k (3727oC) and has oxidation number of 3 (three). Boron
is Rhombohedra in structure, with electronic configuration 1S2, 2S2, 2P1. It has two
naturally occurring isotopes that aids in cancer treatment.(Garrette,2002) The isotope
of boron that is use to treat cancer is boron-10 (10B) due to it ability to absorb neutron
when injected to cancer cells.
Extraction OF Boron
Boron occurs principally as borate which include sodium tetraborate (Borax),
Na2[B4O5(OH)4].8H2O, in which the boron atom is part of an anionic complex. Boron
can be obtained as an amorphous brown powder by treating borax with hydrocloric acid.
Na2 [B4O5 (OH) 4].8H2O +2HCl Heat 4H3BO3 + 2NaCl + 5H2O
The boric acid, H3BO3 generated is ignited to give the oxide B2O3
2H3BO3 Heat B2O3 + 3H2O
The B2O3 is finally reduced by magnesium at a high tempreture. B2O3 + 3Mg Heat
2B + 3MgO.

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Application of Boron in Cancer Treatment
One of the uses of boron is in a treatment of cancer. BNCT is basis of boron capture
therapy for cancer treatment. That is an ideal therapy for cancer treatment where all
tumor cells were selectively destroyed without damaging normal tissues
(Pauling, 2006) most of the cancer cells should be destroyed, either by treatment, itself
or with the help of the body’s immune system. Otherwise the danger exists that the
tumor may re-establish itself. Although today’s standard treatments surgery, radiation
therapy and chemotherapy have successfully cured many kinds of cancer, there is still
many treatment failures (Brownell, 1997)
The promise of a new experimental cancer therapy with some indication of its potential
efficiency has led many scientist from all around the world to work on approach called
Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) which is binary radiation therapy modality that
brings together two components that when kept separate have only minor effects on
cells. The first components that is a stable isotope of boron (boron-10) that can be
concentrated in tumor cells by attaching it to tumor seeking compounds. The seconds
is a beam of low-energy neutrons. Boron-10 in or adjacent to tumor cells disintegrate
after capturing a neutron and the high energy heavy charged particles produced
destroy only the cells in close proximity to it, primarily cancer cells, leaving adjacent
cells largely unaffected (Barth et al., 2005).

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Figure1: Showing the sequence of nuclear events (Locher, 2008)
Rationale of Boron Neutron Capture Therapy
The logical action of BNCT was discovered in 1932. The concept of Neutron Capture
Therapy (NCT), The physical principle of NCT is simple and elegant. It is a two
component or binary system, based on the nuclear reaction that occurs when the stable
isotope 10B is irradiated with low energy or thermal neutrons and convert to11B which
yield highly energetic helium-4 (4He) nuclei (i.e., alpha particles) and recoiling Lithium-7
(7Li) ions. (Locher, 2008).

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Advantages of BNCT
BNCT is a therapy used in treatment of cancer .There are two key advantages to the
use of BNCT which make it particularly effective in the treatment of tumours. Firstly, the
reaction on which BNCT is based produces various types of radiation; the principle
types of radiation are α-particles and 7Li nuclei which result in various ionising events
which have a high linear energy transfer (LET) (this is reflected by the fact that the
average LET of the 1.7-MeV α-particles which result from the reaction is 200 keV/μ. As
a result, it is only necessary for a small number of these particles to release their energy
in order to be effective at killing malignant cells, whether they are oxygenated or hypoxic
cells (Locher, 2008). This is what makes BNCT peculiarly effective at the elimination of
malignant tissue. Secondly, another key strength of BNCT, and what has made it the
focus of so much recent research, is that, unlike other forms of radiation therapy, BNCT
does not result in the destruction of surrounding, healthy tissue. This is due to the fact
that the effects of the aforementioned reaction will only occur within the malignant cells
which have enough 10B for the reaction to take place, whereas the low levels of 10B in
the surrounding tissue means that it would not receive similar levels of high-LET
radiation (Bates, 1998). Points out, however, that there are some reactions which do

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occur within healthy tissue. In particular, the application of BNCT is likely to result in
capture reactions within normal tissue nitrogen and hydrogen and with the production of
protons and of γ-rays. While this is the case, though, it is important to bear in mind that
the level of radiation which is produced by these reactions is significantly lower than the
level of radiation which is produced by recoiling 7Li nuclei and by α-particles (Locher,
2008).
Working Procedure of BNCT
Figure 2: Diagram above is showing binary radiation therapy a thermal neuron BNC
(Locher, 2008).
In treating cancer using BNCT , The chemical containing Boron-10(10B) is injected to
the body of cancer patient.The 10B is selectively attached to cancer cells and this
chemical with boron-10(10B) is not toxic after attached to cancer cells then they
absorbed neurons and neutron itself is not toxic forming boron-11 which is very
dangerous. Boron-11(11B) formed will disintegrate forming will disintegrate forming
Lithium (Li) and Alpha particle (α) and this alpha particle destroyed the cancer cells. The
advantage of BNCT in treating cancer over other therapy is that BNCT can only destroy

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cancer cell without damaging normal cells. This development will able to provide cancer
patient with a treatments option that allows provides less damage to the rest of their
bodies, thus increasing chances of survival. Equation for reaction showbelow.10B+1n
11B α+ 7Li+2.31 MeV.
Figure 3: Working procedure of BNCT (Locher, 2008)
The boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) consists of the injection of boron
compounds into human body, collecting them in tum or cells and then irradiating them
with thermal neutron in order to destroy these cells (Locher, 2008).

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Conclusion
In conclusion boron is an element with various functions and most importantly in cancer
treatment due to it ability to absorb neutrons. This development will able to provide
cancer patient with a treatments option that allows provides less damage to the rest of
their bodies, thus increasing chances of survival. There are various ways of treating
cancer, Boron as (BNCT) is use to treat cancer because of its ability to absorbed
neutron were all tumor cells were selectively destroyed without damaging normal
tissues.

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References
Barth, R.F., Solloway, A.H., and Fairchild R.G., (2005). Boron Neutron Capture therapy
to cancer’’ Res., 50; 106 1-1070,
Bates, R.L (1998) Geology of the industrial Rocks and Minerals (New York; Dover,) Pp
393-401.
Brownell, G, Zamenhof, G.G, Murray, B.W, and Wellum, G.R, (1997) Boron Neutron
Capture therapy
Garrett, D.E, (2002).,”A recent survey of the industry, Boron San Diego, Ca: Academic
press.
Locher, G.L (2008). “Biological Effects and Therapeutic Possibilities of Neutrons” A.M.
J. Roentgenol, Radium Ther 36:11-13,.b
Pauling R. Hayward (2006). The Architecture of Molecules (San Francisco; W.H.
Freeman) Illustrations 12-36.