Periodic Table ~ antimony ~ Element ~ CAS 7440-36-0

antimony

Name	antimony
Symbol	Sb
Atomic Weight	121.760
Atomic Number	51
CAS ID	7440-36-0
Group Number	15
Group Name	Pnictogen
Period Number	5
Origin of Name	Greek, anti + monos = "not alone", Latin, "stibium."
Year Discovered	Prehistoric
Discovery Credits	Probably known to the ancients and certainly to the alchemists.
Class	Semi-Metallic
Color	Silvery Lustrous Gray
Standard State	Solid at 77 F & 298 K
Description	Metalloid element with various allotropes, of which metal is bright, silvery, hard, and brittle. Stable in dry air and not attacked by dilute acids of alkalis. Used to harden other metals, in storage batteries, bearings, etc. Diagnostic tests: Antimony is usually detected by the coating of oxide formed by roasting on charcoal or the opentube. Antimonides, antimony, etc. (As^2-): A sample of the powdered mineral gives off a dense sublimate of Sb₂O₃ when roasted on charcoal without the arsenic odor. In the open tube test, they give a white, volatile, crystalline sublimate of Sb₂O₃ at a much higher temperature than arsenic. In the closed tube test with sulfur, they yield a black sublimate when hot and red or reddish brown when cold. Antimonates (SbO₄): can be detected by lack of a garlic odor (arsenic) and the white sublimate yielded when a mixture of the powdered mineral with charcoal dust and Na₂CO₃ is heated with a reducing flame on a charcoal block.