An emerging application is the use of antimony in microelectronics.Ĭrystal structure common to Sb, AsSb and grey AsĪntimony is in the nitrogen group (group 15) and has an electronegativity of 2.05. Antimony compounds are prominent additives for chlorine- and bromine-containing fire retardants found in many commercial and domestic products. Alloying lead and tin with antimony improves the properties of the alloys which are used in solders, bullets and plain bearings. The largest applications for metallic antimony are as alloying material for lead and tin and for lead antimony plates in lead-acid batteries. The industrial methods to produce antimony are roasting and subsequent carbothermal reduction or direct reduction of stibnite with iron. It was established to be an element around the 17th century.įor some time, China has been the largest producer of antimony and its compounds, with most production coming from the Xikuangshan Mine in Hunan. Antimony compounds have been known since ancient times and were used for cosmetics metallic antimony was also known, but it was erroneously identified as lead.

A lustrous grey metalloid, it is found in nature mainly as the sulfide mineral stibnite (Sb 2S 3).

Isotopes of antimony analogical dictionaryĪntimony ( / æ n ˈ t ɪ m ɵ n i / an- TI-mo-nee or / ˈ æ n t ə ˌ m oʊ n i / AN-tə- MOH-nee Latin: stibium) is a toxic chemical element with the symbol Sb and an atomic number of 51.

Antimony define