| Antimony | |
|---|---|
| Properties | |
| Atomic symbol | Sb |
| Atomic number | 51 |
| Classification | Pnictogen |
| Atomic mass | 121.760 amu |
| Number of Stable Isotopes | 2 |
| Density (grams per cc) | 6.68 g/cm^3 |
| Other Information | |
| Date of discovery | Known since ancient times. |
| Name of discoverer | Unknown |
| Name origin | Greek anti and monos, "not alone". |
| Uses | Various. |
| Obtained from | Stibnite, ullmanite, and valentinite. |
Antimony (Sb) is a toxic, flaky, brittle element with the symbol Sb (Latin: stibium, meaning "mark") and atomic number 51. It does not react with air, but burns brightly when ignited. Since it is not a metal, antimony is a poor conductor of both heat and electricity. The stable form of antimony is a blue-white metalloid. Yellow and black antimony are unstable non-metals. Antimony is used in flame-proofing, paints, batteries, ceramics, enamels, as a hardener for lead and other metals, and in a wide variety of alloys, electronics, and rubber. The ancient Egyptians used black stibnite as eye make-up.
Antimony is a member of the "pnictogen" (group 15) of the periodic table. This is the area that has a metal near the bottom (bismuth) and some nonmetals near the top (nitrogen). Antimony in between—It is one of the few elements which is neither a metal or a non-metal.
Antimony was known as an element at least as far back as the alchemists. It was first scientifically studied in 1707 by Nicolas Lemery.
| Periodic Table of the Elements | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | |||||||
51
Sb 121.75 |
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| *Lanthanides | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| **Actinides | ||||||||||||||||||||||||