Mutations in the ABCA12 gene cause harlequin ichthyosis. The ABCA12 gene provides instructions for making a protein that is essential for the normal development of skin cells. This protein plays a major role in the transport of fats (lipids) in the outermost layer of skin (the epidermis).
Boron compounds are also used as fertilizers in agriculture, and in sodium perborate bleaches. In minor uses, boron is an important dopant for semiconductors, and boron-containing reagents are used as intermediates in the synthesis of organic fine chemicals.atural boron is composed of two stable isotopes, one of which (boron-10) has a number of uses as a neutron-capturing agent. In biology, borates have low toxicity in mammals (similar to table salt), but are more toxic to arthropods and are used as insecticides.
For the quintessence of classical philosophy, see Aether (classical element). Boron is a chemical element with symbol B and atomic number 5. Produced entirely by cosmic ray spallation and supernovae and not by stellar nucleosynthesis, it is a low-abundance element in the Solar system and in the Earth's crust. Boron is concentrated on Earth by the water-solubility of its more common naturally occurring compounds, the borate minerals.