antimony

Introduction
History
Occurrence and distribution
Commercial production and uses
Properties and reactions
Analytical chemistry
Biological and physiological significance

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Images, Videos & Interactives

A labeled periodic table entry for antimony shows its symbol Sb, atomic number 51, atomic weight 121.76, electron configuration, and name. It is a solid, weakly acidic other metal with a rhombohedral crystal structure at room temperature.

Cluster of metallic, silver-gray stibnite crystals radiating upward, with sharp, elongated blades and some attached pale mineral deposits.

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Diagram showing atomic structures of native elements: iron as simple cubic packing of spheres, arsenic and antimony as a close-packed model, diamond as a 3D lattice, and graphite as stacked sheets with labeled cleavage planes.

At a Glance

antimony summary

Quizzes

Concept artwork on the periodic table of elements.

118 Names and Symbols of the Periodic Table Quiz

Periodic Table of the elements concept image (chemistry)

Facts You Should Know: The Periodic Table Quiz

Related Questions

How are indium antimonide and gallium antimonide used in semiconductor devices?
How can acidic fruit juice cause antimony poisoning from enamelware containers?
How can stibnite form in limestone near hot springs?
How did Andreas Libavius prepare metallic antimony in 1615?
How do chemists measure the amount of antimony in a sample?
How does antimony differ from arsenic in electronegativity?
How does antimony react with halogens when heated?
How does antimony react with sulfur when heated?
How does antimony's electron structure resemble arsenic's?
How does electrolysis help produce antimony from stibnite ore?
How does stibnite occur in granite and gneiss?
How is antimony metal made by reacting stibnite with iron?
How is antimony produced by reducing antimony oxide with carbon?
How is antimony sulfide used in fireworks and percussion caps?
How is antimony used in automobile storage batteries?
How is black amorphous antimony produced?
How long ago was antimony used to make a Chaldean vase?
How much does an atom of antimony weigh?
How was stibnite used as eye makeup in ancient Egypt?
What are babbitt metals and how are they used in machine bearings?
What are the different allotropic forms of antimony?
What are the stable isotopes of antimony?
What does solid antimony look like?
What happens when antimony is heated in air?
What is explosive antimony and why does it change when scratched?
What is the atomic number of antimony?
What is the chemical formula of stibnite?
What is the chemical symbol for antimony?
What mineral is the main ore of antimony?
What substance forms when antimony burns in air?
Where are major stibnite deposits found?
Where does the name antimony come from?
Where is antimony located on the periodic table?
Which antimony alloys are used to make pewter and britannia metal?
Which country produced about half of the world's mined antimony in 2020?
Why are antimony alloys useful for casting molds?
Why are antimony and many of its compounds toxic?
Why can antimony form three covalent bonds?
Why can old lead-acid batteries be a source of recycled antimony?
Why does antimony break easily instead of bending?
Why does antimony use the symbol Sb instead of a symbol based on its English name?
Why does burning antimony produce a blue flame and white fumes?
Why is antimony classified as a metalloid?
Why is antimony used in bullets and cable coverings?
Why was antimony added to type metal used in printing?
When did science begin?
Where was science invented?
What is platinum used for?
Where are the largest deposits of platinum?
What are the properties of platinum?

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External Websites

Australian Government - Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water - Antimony and compounds
National Center for Biotechnology Information - Antimony Toxicity
Lenntech - Antimony Sb
RSC Publishing - Journal of Materials Chemistry A - The nature and effects of rhodium and antimony dopants on the electronic structure of TiO2: towards design of Z-scheme photocatalystsÂ†
USGS Publications Warehouse - Antimony (PDF)
Royal Society of Chemistry - Antimony
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Antimony

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Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

antimony - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

antimony

chemical element

Also known as: Sb

Written and fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

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Last updated

Oct. 31, 2026 •History

antimony (Sb), a metallic element belonging to the nitrogen group (Group 15 [Va] of the periodic table). Antimony exists in many allotropic forms (physically distinct conditions that result from different arrangements of the same atoms in molecules or crystals). Antimony is a lustrous silvery bluish white solid that is very brittle and has a flaky texture. It occurs chiefly as the gray sulfide mineral stibnite (Sb₂S₃). atomic number 51 atomic weight 121.76 melting point 630.5...

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