Establishing the difference between colloidal borosilicate and boron-modified colloidal silica via chelation of boron with catechol and dl-tartaric acid

Colloidal borosilicate and boron-modified colloidal silica sols both contain B-O-Si chemical bonds that can be detected by 11B NMR. While the boron present in colloidal borosilicate is stable towards the action of catechol and tartaric acid, the boron in boron-modified silica is readily complexed by these agents.