Antimony

Antimony: the essentials

 Brief description: metallic antimony is an extremely brittle metal of a flaky, crystalline texture. It is bluish white and has a metallic lustre. It is not acted on by air at room temperature, but burns brilliantly when heated with the formation of white fumes. It is a poor conductor of heat and electricity.

Antimony and its compounds are toxic. It is found mostly with other minerals and in stibnite.

Image adapted with permission from Prof James Marshall's (U. North Texas, USA) Walking Tour of the elements CD.

Cartoon by Nick D Kim (nearingzero.net, used by permission).

Isolation

Isolation: it is not usually necessary to make antimony in the laboratory as it is commercially available. Antimony is found in nature in a number of minerals including stibnite (Sb₂S₃) and ullmanite (NiSbS). Small amounts of native antimony have been found. Some ores are treatable under reducing conditions to form Sb₂S₃. The sulphide is removed to leave elemental antimony with scrap iron.

Sb₂S₃ + 3Fe → 2Sb + 3FeS

In antehr process, some ores can be heated to evolve the oxide Sb₂O₃ and this in turn can be reduced by charcoal in the presence of sodium sulphate, to ensure mixing, to form elemental antimony.

2Sb₂O₃ +3C → 4Sb + 3CO₂

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