Antimony Introduction

Antimony is the element with interesting history and interesting properties; element which have been used widely for a long time; element which is important not only for the development of science and technical sphere but for cultural one also. The historians consider that first productions of antimony appeared in Ancient East about 5 thousand years ago.

The history of antimony and its name Along with gold, mercury, copper and other six elements the antimony is considered to be prehistoric. Name of its discoverer didn’t reach our ears. It is only known that, for example, in Babylon as far back as 3 thousand years B.C. vessels were made of it. Latin name of the element “stibium” is met in the works of Plinius Maior. However Greek “στιβι”, from which this name came from, was referred not to antimony itself initially, but to its most spread mineral – sulphide of antimony.

In the countries of ancient Europe only this mineral was known. In the middle of the century people learned how to melt “antimony regulus”, which was considered to be semimetal. The outstanding scientist of the medieval metallurgical science, Agricola, wrote: “If while the alloying some portion of antimony is added to lead the type-metal alloy will be formed. It is used for making the type applied by those who publish the books”. Thus the history of application of element # 51 in the printing works counted many centuries.

Firstly, the properties and methods of getting the antimony, its compounds and alloys were described in details in the famous book “Triumphal chariot of antimony”, issued in 1604 in Europe. Name “antimonium”, given by the author to natural sulphureous antimony here came from Greek ανεμον – “flower” (by appearance of joins of acicular crystals of antimony sulphide, reminding the flowers of composites).

Name “antimonium” in our country and abroad was referred to this mineral only for a long time. And metal antimony was called antimony regulus at that time - regulus antimony. In 1789 Lavoisier included the antimony in the list of elementary substances and give name antimonie to it that still remains the French name of element # 51. English and German names - antimony, Antimon – are close to it.

But there is also an another version according to which the superior of abbey in Stalgauzen, noticed the great state and weight increase of pigs, licking “dark substance with metallic luster” and decided to mix it with the food of his monks. Forty monks died with terrible tortures. From that time the substance acquired the name “antimonium”, i.e. remedy against monks (see details in Y.Gashek. “Stone of life”).

Russian name of this element – “surma” – came from Turkish word “surme”, that is translated as “rubbing” or “darkening the eyebrows”. Right up to XIX in Russia there was a colloquialism “to antimony the eyebrows”, though they “antimonied” them not always with antimony compounds. Only one of them - black modification of trisulfide antimony – was applied as paint for eye-brows. This very substance was designated by word, that later became Russian name of element # 51.

Why do we need antimony? Metal antimony is applied rarely because of its brittleness. However since the antimony increases the hardness of the other metals (tin, lead) and is not oxidized at normal conditions, the metallurgists add it to different alloys sometimes. Number of alloys including element # 51 is approximately two hundred. The most distinguished alloys of antimony are hard lead (or antimony lead), typographical metal, bearing metals.

Bearing metals are the alloys of antimony with tin, lead and copper, sometimes zinc and bismuth are added to them. These alloys are rather easily melted; they are used for the manufacturing of the bearing insert. The most spread alloys of this group are babbits, they contain from 4 to 15 % of antimony. The babbits are applied in the machine tool building, in railway and motor transport. The bearing metals feature sufficient hardness, high attrition resistance, high corrosion-resistance.

The antimony belongs to small number of metals which expand at the consolidation. Due to this property of the antimony the typographical metal – alloy of lead (82 %), tin (3 %) and antimony (15 %) – fills the molds while making the types very well; the molded from this metal strings give accurate prints. The antimony gives hardness, impact stability and strength to the typographical metal.

The lead alloyed with the antimony (from 5 to 15 %) is known as antimony lead of hard lead. The adding 1% Sb to the lead already increases its hardness. Hard lead is used in chemical machine building and in the manufacturing of tubes in which corrosive liquids are transported. The coatings for telegraph, telephone and electrical cables, electrodes, accumulator plates are also made of it. By the way, the manufacturing of the accumulator plate is one of the most principal directions of element # 51 application. The antimony is added to the lead, used for the manufacturing of shrapnel and bullets.

The antimony compounds are widely used in technics. Trisulfide antimony is used in the production of matches and pyrotechnics. Most of the antimony materials are also obtained from this compound. Pentasulfide antimony is applied for the caoutchouc vulcanization. “Medical” rubber, containing Sb2S5, has specific red color and high elasticity. Heat-resistant antimony trioxide is used in the production of fireproof paints, construction materials, fabrics, conveyer belts, enamel.

Intermetallic compounds of the antimony with aluminum, gallium, indium possess semiconducting properties. The antimony is used for the improving of the properties of one of the most important semiconductor – germanium.

Hydrated potassium antimonyl (emetic stone) is used for the production of preparations for the curing of stomach diseases. Such compounds as ethylstibamine, sodium gluconate antimonyl (Pentostam) and N-Methylglucamin antimonate (Glucantime) are applied for curing the leishmaniasis.

Many antimony compounds may act as the pigments in the paints. So the antimponial acid potassium (K2O · 2Sb2O5) is widely used in the production of ceramics. Meta-antimonial acid sodium (NaSbO3) called leikonin is used for coating the cooking battery and in the production of the enamel and white milk glass. The famous paint “Neapolitan yellow” is nothing but antimonial acid yellow lead. It is applied in the painting as oil-base paint and for colouring the ceramics and porcelain. Even metallic antimony in a form of fine-dyspersated powder is used as paint. This powder is base of famous paint “iron black”.

In a word, the antimony is one of the ancient metals, known by the mankind and today it is still needed to us.


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