Aptive Environmental State Practice Exam

Boric acid is inorganic because its structure contains no carbon-hydrogen bonds and it’s not a carbon-based molecule. Inorganic compounds are typically minerals, salts, oxides, and acids that do not derive from carbon chains, and boric acid (H3BO3) fits that description as a boron-oxygen-hydrogen compound. While boric acid can be used in some contexts as a pesticide, that usage does not change its chemical classification. It isn’t a solvent in the usual sense, either, since it’s not a liquid used to dissolve substances. So the material’s classification as inorganic accurately reflects its chemical nature.