Antimony (Sb)
"The Flame Retardant, a hero who stops fires before they can spread through plastics and textiles."
A memorable persona to anchor Sb in your mind.
6.697
Grams per cm³
630.628
Celsius (°C)
206
Radius (pm)
Daily Life Link
Antimony is found as an ingredient in flame-retardant clothing or electronics.
Discovery & History
Year Discovered
c. 1450
Discovered By
Tholden
Origin of Name
"The name derives from the Greek ''anti - monos'', meaning not alone"
Technical Properties
Atomic Mass
121.76 u
Standard State
solid
Boiling Point
1587°C
Electron Configuration
[Kr] 4d105s25p3
1st Ionization Energy
8.64 eV
Electron Affinity
N/A
Oxidation States
"Antimony is a brittle, silvery-white metalloid."
Did You Know?
Its chemical symbol, Sb, comes from its historical Latin name, 'stibium'.
Ancient Egyptians used powdered stibnite (antimony sulfide) as a black eyeliner and mascara, known as kohl.
Antimony is a crucial ingredient in flame retardants, added to plastics, textiles, and other materials to make them less flammable.
Adding antimony to lead makes the lead harder and stronger, which is why it's used in lead-acid car batteries.