![]() Marcellin Berthelot, who translated a number of Geber's books, stated that antimony is never mentioned in them. In the traditional history of Middle Eastern alchemy, it is claimed that pure antimony was well-known to the Islamic alchemist Geber (Abu Musa Jabir ibn Hayyan) in the eighth century. It was used to darken eyebrows and eyelashes, or to draw a line around the perimeter of the eye. The black powder of antimony sulfide (stibium) is soluble in water and was the ancient version of mascara during Roman times. or earlier) in various compounds and was prized for its fine casting qualities. Other forms are powder, shot, and single crystals.Ĭhiffres de 2003, métal contenue dans les minerais et concentrés, source: L'état du monde 2005 HistoryĪntimony was recognized in antiquity (3000 B.C.E. ![]() Other producers are Russia, South Africa, Tajikistan, and Bolivia.Ĭommercially, antimony is generally produced in the form of ingots, broken pieces, granules, and cast cake. The largest mine in that country is the Xikuangshan mine in Hunan Province. The People's Republic of China is by far the world's largest producer of antimony. It is also found associated with lead, copper, and silver. It is sometimes found in the native (elemental) state, but it occurs predominantly as the sulfide mineral stibnite (Sb 2S 3). Despite this low abundance, it is found in over 100 mineral species. ![]() Native, massive antimony, with oxidation products.Įstimates of the abundance of antimony in the Earth's crust range from 0.2 to 0.5 parts per million (ppm). Al-ithmīd, in turn, was later latinized by alchemists to "athimodium," and eventually to "antimonium." The chemical pioneer Jöns Jakob Berzelius abbreviated stibium as Sb in his writings about antimony, and his abbreviation became the standard symbol. From that came the Latin name stibium, which was then converted in Arabic to انتيمون (ithmīd). Antimony sulfide (Sb 2S 3) was used in some countries as a cosmetic powder, and its Coptic name ( CTHM, or "stem") was borrowed by the Greeks, who called it στιβι (stibi). The derivation of antimony's modern name and its symbol can be traced along a complex path. Some compounds have a history of use as medicines for humans and animals. Several compounds of antimony are used in the production of flame-proofing materials, glasses, ceramics, paints, and pottery. Recently, it is being used by the semiconductor industry for the manufacture of diodes and infrared detectors. In addition, it is used in alloys for type metal, tracer bullets, antifriction materials, cable sheathing, plumbing, and solder. This element is mainly used as a hardener in lead for storage batteries. Antimony and many of its compounds are toxic and need to be handled with care. Yellow and black antimony are unstable nonmetals. The stable form of antimony is a blue-white metal. Antimony (chemical symbol Sb, atomic number 51) is a metalloid with four allotropic forms.
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