Antimony Information
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Antimony Element
Antimony is a chemical element
with the symbol Sb (from Latin: stibium) and atomic number 51. A lustrous gray
metalloid, it is found in nature mainly as the sulfide mineral stibnite
(Sb2S3). Antimony compounds have been known since ancient times and were
powdered for use as medicine and cosmetics, often known by the Arabic name
kohl.[5] Metallic antimony was also known, but it was erroneously identified as
lead upon its discovery. The earliest known description of the metal in the
West was written in 1540 by Vannoccio Biringuccio.
For some time, China has been
the largest producer of antimony and its compounds, with most production coming
from the Xikuangshan Mine in Hunan. The industrial methods for refining
antimony are roasting and reduction with carbon or direct reduction of stibnite
with iron.
The ancients were familiar with
antimony both as a metal and in its sulfide form. Fragments of a Chaldean vase
made of antimony have been estimated to date from about 4000 BC. The Old
Testament tells of Queen Jezebel using the naturally occurring sulfide of
antimony to beautify her eyes. Pliny, during the 1st century AD, wrote of seven
different medicinal remedies using stibium or antimony sulfide. Early writings
of Dioscorides, dating from about the same time, mention metallic antimony.
Records of the 15th century show the use of the substance in alloys for type,
bells, and mirrors. In 1615 Andreas Libavius, a German physician, described the
preparation of metallic antimony by the direct reduction of the sulfide with
iron; and a later chemistry textbook by Lémery, published in 1675, also
describes methods of preparation of the element. In the same century, a book
summarizing available knowledge of antimony and its compounds was purportedly
written by a Basil Valentine, allegedly a Benedictine monk of the 15th century,
whose name appears on chemical writings over a span of two centuries. The name
antimony appears to be derived from the Latin antimonium, in a translation of a
work by the alchemist Geber, but its real origin is uncertain.
The largest applications for
metallic antimony are an alloy with lead and tin and the lead antimony plates
in lead–acid batteries. Alloys of lead and tin with antimony have improved
properties for solders, bullets, and plain bearings. Antimony compounds are
prominent additives for chlorine and bromine-containing fire retardants found
in many commercial and domestic products. An emerging application is the use of
antimony in microelectronics.
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