is it possible to define the characters that '\b' matches? I am processing latex code, and their macro character space is \ a-zA-Z \. I would like to write

  

\\$keyword\b

Unless I'm understanding your intentions wrong, that's the purpose of \b.

  Example: m/\bChi_2\b/

I don't think the underscore will cause you problems within the defined \b \b but I'm sure I'll be corrected shortly if I'm wrong. :)