Boron Compounds as Key Drivers of Innovation: Exploring Their Role in Environmental Remediation, Sustainable Agriculture, Advanced Biomedical Applications, and Green Chemistry

Abstract

Boron compounds have attracted significant attention from researchers in recent years due to their exceptional electronic properties and wide applicability in therapeutic, biomedical, environmental, and agricultural fields. On the other hand, boron compounds, which are low-cost, easy to synthesize, and stable, have the potential to be used in many application areas due to the hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions they form with different molecules under mild reaction conditions, and thus they appear as promising molecules for a wide range of different applications in the future. This review consists of four main sections, covering boron's catalytic role; its therapeutic potential, including anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties; its role in biosensors; its applications in water and wastewater treatment, waste management, and recycling; and its significance in agriculture, specifically in soil health, fertilization, and plant physiology. Moreover, this review provides an in-depth examination of boron from multiple perspectives, offering comprehensive insights while carefully summarizing recent studies selected with meticulous attention and is very likely to play a greater active role in the future studies. Although boron compounds have made significant progress in areas such as environmental remediation, sustainable agriculture, advanced biomedical applications, and higher priority green chemistry, new studies are still needed to synthesize new boron-based compounds and elucidate their properties.