Antimony

Antimony is a brittle, silvery metalloid with atomic number 51. It lies in group 15 of the periodic table, below arsenic.

Group 15: The periodic-table group containing nitrogen, phosphorus, arsenic, antimony, bismuth, and moscovium. Antimony shares this group’s valence-electron pattern and sits between arsenic and bismuth.
Flame retardant: A substance or treatment that slows ignition or combustion in a material. Antimony trioxide is used with halogen-containing additives to suppress combustion in some plastics and textiles.
Stibnite: A gray sulfide mineral with formula Sb₂S₃ and the principal ore of antimony. This mineral supplied antimony compounds long before the element was isolated and identified.
Antimony poisoning: Illness caused by exposure to toxic antimony compounds. Toxicity limits antimony’s safe use and helps explain concerns about contaminated food and water.
Metalloid: An element with properties intermediate between those typical of metals and nonmetals. Antimony’s brittleness and electrical behavior exemplify the mixed properties associated with metalloids.
Lead–acid battery: A rechargeable battery that stores energy through reactions between lead, lead dioxide, and sulfuric acid. Antimony-containing lead alloys have been used to strengthen battery grids and improve casting.
Alchemy: A historical practice combining experimental work on materials with theories of transformation and nature. Antimony and its compounds occupied a prominent place in early alchemical texts and practices.
Stibine: A highly toxic, flammable gas with formula SbH₃. Industrial processes can generate this hazardous hydride under particular chemical conditions.
Allotropy: The ability of an element to exist in different structural forms in the same physical state. Antimony occurs in distinct solid forms, including the stable metallic allotrope and less stable forms.
Antimony-doped tin oxide: A transparent conducting oxide made by adding antimony to tin oxide. This material uses antimony to increase electrical conductivity while retaining optical transparency.

Linked from 8 pages