Jul 12 2013
Topics Covered
Introduction
Chemical Properties
Physical Properties
Mechanical Properties
Thermal Properties
Applications
Introduction
Antimony is a chemical element with Sb as its symbol. It belongs to group 15, periodic number 5 of the periodic table. The metallic form of this element is bright, silvery, and brittle. The Mohs scale for hardness is 3 for this metal. It is a poor conductor of heat and electricity.
Antimony occurs naturally in the environment and is predominantly found in Russia, Bolivia, china, and South Africa. It is found in over 100 mineral species with sulfide stibnite (Sb2S3) being the main ore mineral.
Chemical Properties
The chemical properties of antimony are provided in the table below.
|
Chemical Data |
|
CAS number |
7440-36-0 |
|
Thermal neutron cross section |
5.7 barns/atom |
|
Electrode potential |
0.10 V |
|
Ionic radius |
0.620 Å |
|
Electronegativity |
2.05 |
|
X-ray absorption edge |
0.40663 Å |
|
Electrochemical equivalent |
1.494 g/A/h |
Physical Properties
The following table discusses the physical properties of antimony.
|
Properties |
Metric |
Imperial |
|
Density |
6.618 g/cm3 |
0.2391 lb/in3 |
|
Melting point |
630.74 °C |
1167.3 °F |
|
Boiling point |
1380 °C |
2516°F |
Mechanical Properties
The mechanical properties of antimony are tabulated below.
|
Properties |
Metric |
Imperial |
|
Tensile strength |
11.4 MPa |
1650 psi |
|
Modulus of elasticity |
77.759 GPa |
11278 ksi |
|
Shear modulus |
19 GPa |
2760 ksi |
|
Hardness, Brinell |
30 - 58 |
30 - 58 |
|
Hardness, Vickers |
30 - 60 |
30 - 60 |
Thermal Properties
The thermal properties of antimony are tabulated below.
|
Properties |
Metric |
Imperial |
|
Thermal expansion co-efficient (@20-100°C/68-212°F) |
10.9 µm/m°C |
6.06 µin/in°F |
|
Thermal conductivity |
18.6 W/mK |
129 BTU in/hr.ft².°F |
Applications
The following are the application areas of antimony:
-
Brake pads
-
Ammunition
-
Ball bearings
-
Safety matches
-
Fire retardants
-
As alloying material for lead
-
Diodes and infrared detectors
-
Startup neutron sources in nuclear reactors
-
Dopants for silicon wafers for semiconductor industry
Antimony alloys are used in batteries, type metal, low friction metals, and cable sheathing. Antimony compounds are used to manufacture paints, ceramic enamels, flame-proofing materials, glass and pottery.