This thesis is written in an alternate format. The thesis is composed of a general introduction, two original manuscripts, and a general conclusion. References cited within each chapter are given at the end of each chapter. The general introduction starts with the driving force behind this research, and gives an overview of previous work on boron doped molybdenum silicides, Nb/Nb(sub 5)Si(sub 3) composites, boron modified niobium silicides and molybdenum niobium silicides. Chapter 2 focuses on the oxidation behavior of Nb-Mo-Si-B alloys. Chapter 3 contains studies on a novel chlorination technique to improve the oxidation resistance of Nb-Mo-Si-B alloys. Chapter 4 summarizes the important results in this study.