Antimony poisoning

Antimony,  ₅₁Sb

General properties
Pronunciation	UK: /ˈæntɪməni/ (AN-tim-ə-nee) US: /ˈæntəmoʊni/ (AN-tə-moh-nee)
Appearance	silvery lustrous gray
Standard atomic weight (Ar, standard)	7002121760000000000♠121.760(1)
Antimony in the periodic table
Hydrogen Helium Lithium Beryllium Boron Carbon Nitrogen Oxygen Fluorine Neon Sodium Magnesium Aluminium Silicon Phosphorus Sulfur Chlorine Argon Potassium Calcium Scandium Titanium Vanadium Chromium Manganese Iron Cobalt Nickel Copper Zinc Gallium Germanium Arsenic Selenium Bromine Krypton Rubidium Strontium Yttrium Zirconium Niobium Molybdenum Technetium Ruthenium Rhodium Palladium Silver Cadmium Indium Tin Antimony Tellurium Iodine Xenon Caesium Barium Lanthanum Cerium Praseodymium Neodymium Promethium Samarium Europium Gadolinium Terbium Dysprosium Holmium Erbium Thulium Ytterbium Lutetium Hafnium Tantalum Tungsten Rhenium Osmium Iridium Platinum Gold Mercury (element) Thallium Lead Bismuth Polonium Astatine Radon Francium Radium Actinium Thorium Protactinium Uranium Neptunium Plutonium Americium Curium Berkelium Californium Einsteinium Fermium Mendelevium Nobelium Lawrencium Rutherfordium Dubnium Seaborgium Bohrium Hassium Meitnerium Darmstadtium Roentgenium Copernicium Nihonium Flerovium Moscovium Livermorium Tennessine Oganesson As ↑ Sb ↓ Bi tin ← antimony → tellurium
Atomic number (Z)	51
Group	group 15 (pnictogens)
Period	period 5
Element category	metalloid
Block	p-block
Electron configuration	[Kr] 4d10 5s2 5p3
Electrons per shell	2, 8, 18, 18, 5
Physical properties
Phase at STP	solid
Melting point	903.78 K ​(630.63 °C, ​1167.13 °F)
Boiling point	1908 K ​(1635 °C, ​2975 °F)
Density (near r.t.)	6.697 g/cm3
when liquid (at m.p.)	6.53 g/cm3
Heat of fusion	19.79 kJ/mol
Heat of vaporization	193.43 kJ/mol
Molar heat capacity	25.23 J/(mol·K)
Vapor pressure P (Pa) 1 10 100 1 k 10 k 100 k at T (K) 807 876 1011 1219 1491 1858
Atomic properties
Oxidation states	5, 4, 3, 2, 1, −1, −2, −3 ​(an amphoteric oxide)
Electronegativity	Pauling scale: 2.05
Ionization energies	1st: 834 kJ/mol 2nd: 1594.9 kJ/mol 3rd: 2440 kJ/mol (more)
Atomic radius	empirical: 140 pm
Covalent radius	139±5 pm
Van der Waals radius	206 pm
Spectral lines
Miscellanea
Crystal structure	​rhombohedral
Speed of sound thin rod	3420 m/s (at 20 °C)
Thermal expansion	11 µm/(m·K) (at 25 °C)
Thermal conductivity	24.4 W/(m·K)
Electrical resistivity	417 nΩ·m (at 20 °C)
Magnetic ordering	diamagnetic
Magnetic susceptibility	−99.0·10−6 cm3/mol
Young's modulus	55 GPa
Shear modulus	20 GPa
Bulk modulus	42 GPa
Mohs hardness	3.0
Brinell hardness	294–384 MPa
CAS Number	7440-36-0
History
Discovery	ca. 800
Main isotopes of antimony
Iso­tope Abun­dance Half-life (t1/2) Decay mode Pro­duct 121Sb 57.21% stable 123Sb 42.79% stable 125Sb syn 2.7582 y β− 125Te
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Antimony is a chemical element with symbol Sb (from Latin: stibium) and atomic number 51. A lustrous gray metalloid, it is found in nature mainly as the sulfide mineral stibnite (Sb₂S₃). Antimony compounds have been known since ancient times and were powdered for use as medicine and cosmetics, often known by the Arabic name, kohl. Metallic antimony was also known, but it was erroneously identified as lead upon its discovery. The earliest known description of the metal in the West was written in 1540 by Vannoccio Biringuccio.

For some time, China has been the largest producer of antimony and its compounds, with most production coming from the Xikuangshan Mine in Hunan. The industrial methods for refining antimony are roasting and reduction with carbon or direct reduction of stibnite with iron.

The largest applications for metallic antimony is an alloy with lead and tin and the lead antimony plates in lead–acid batteries. Alloys of lead and tin with antimony have improved properties for solders, bullets, and plain bearings. Antimony compounds are prominent additives for chlorine and bromine-containing fire retardants found in many commercial and domestic products. An emerging application is the use of antimony in microelectronics.

Antimony is in a pnictogen (a member of group 15) and has an electronegativity of 2.05. In accordance with periodic trends, it is more electronegative than tin or bismuth, and less electronegative than tellurium or arsenic. Antimony is stable in air at room temperature, but reacts with oxygen if heated to produce antimony trioxide, Sb₂O₃.