 Discovery Information |
| Who: Known to the ancients. |
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| Name Origin |
| Greek: anti (opposed) monos (solitude). |
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| Sources |
| Found in stibnite (Sb2S3) and in valentinite (Sb2O3). The majority of Antimony comes from China. Even though this element is not abundant, it is found in over 100 mineral species. |
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| Uses |
| Used to harden lead alloys. Also used in solder, bearings, lead batteries, mascara, infrared detectors, diodes, plastics and chemicals. |
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| Notes |
| Antimony and many of its compounds are toxic. Clinically, antimony poisoning is very similar to arsenic poisoning. In small doses, antimony causes headache, dizziness, and depression. Larger doses cause violent and frequent vomiting, and will lead to death in few days. |
| Estimates of the abundance of antimony in the Earth's crust range from 0.2 to 0.5 ppm. |
