Antimony (Sb)
metalloidSolid
Standard Atomic Weight
121.76 uElectron configuration
[Kr] 5s2 4d10 5p3Melting point
630.63 °C (903.78 K)Boiling point
1586.85 °C (1860 K)Density
6685 kg/m³Oxidation states
−3, −2, −1, 0, +1, +2, +3, +4, +5Electronegativity (Pauling)
2.05Ionization energy (1st)
Discovery year
1707Atomic radius
145 pmDetails
Antimony is a brittle p-block metalloid in group 15. It commonly shows oxidation states +3 and +5, with chemistry that bridges arsenic and bismuth. The element is best known as a hardening additive for lead alloys and as a component of flame-retardant systems through antimony trioxide. Natural antimony is usually encountered in sulfide minerals rather than as native metal.
Antimony is a poor conductor of heat and electricity. Antimony and many of its compounds are toxic.
The name derives from the Greek, anti + monos for "not alone" or "not one" because it was found in many compounds. The symbol Sb comes from stibium, which is derived from the Greek stibi for "mark" because it was used for blackening eyebrows and eyelashes. The minerals stibnite (Sb2S3) and stibine (SbH3) are two of more than one hundred mineral species, which were known in the ancient world.
Antimony has been known since ancient times. It is sometimes found free in nature, but is usually obtained from the ores stibnite (Sb2S3) and valentinite (Sb2O3). Nicolas Lémery, a French chemist, was the first person to scientifically study antimony and its compounds. He published his findings in 1707. Antimony makes up about 0.00002% of the earth's crust.
From the Greek word anti plus monos - "a metal not found alone". Antimony was recognized in compounds by the ancients and was known as a metal at the beginning of the 17th century and possibly much earlier.
Images
Properties
Physical
Chemical
Thermodynamic
Nuclear
Abundance
Reactivity
N/A
Crystal Structure
Electronic Structure
Identifiers
Electron Configuration Measured
Sb: 4d¹⁰ 5s² 5p³[Kr] 4d¹⁰ 5s² 5p³1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 3d¹⁰ 4s² 4p⁶ 4d¹⁰ 5s² 5p³Atomic model
Isotopes change neutron count, mass, and stability — not the electron configuration of a neutral atom.
Schematic atomic model, not to scale.
Atomic Fingerprint
Emission / Absorption Spectrum
Isotope Distribution
| Mass number | Atomic mass (u) | Natural abundance | Half-life |
|---|---|---|---|
| 121 Stable | 120.903812 ± 0.000003 | 57.2100% | Stable |
| 123 Stable | 122.9042132 ± 0.0000023 | 42.7900% | Stable |
Phase / State
Reason: 605.6 °C below melting point (630.63 °C)
Schematic, not to scale
Phase transition points
Transition energies
Energy required to melt 1 mol at melting point
Energy required to vaporize 1 mol at boiling point
Energy required to sublime 1 mol at sublimation point
Density
At standard conditions
At standard conditions
Atomic Spectra
Showing 10 of 51 Atomic Spectra. Sorted by ion charge (ascending).
Lines Holdings ?
| Ion | Charge | Total lines | Transition probabilities | Level designations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sb I | 0 | 135 | 10 | 128 |
| Sb II | +1 | 90 | 2 | 61 |
| Sb III | +2 | 61 | 0 | 0 |
| Sb IV | +3 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| Sb V | +4 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
Levels Holdings ?
| Ion | Charge | Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Sb I | 0 | 153 |
| Sb II | +1 | 110 |
| Sb III | +2 | 24 |
| Sb IV | +3 | 29 |
| Sb V | +4 | 9 |
| Sb VI | +5 | 60 |
| Sb VII | +6 | 2 |
| Sb VIII | +7 | 2 |
| Sb IX | +8 | 2 |
| Sb X | +9 | 2 |
Ionic Radii
| Charge | Coordination | Spin | Radius |
|---|---|---|---|
| +3 | 4 | N/A | 76 pm |
| +3 | 5 | N/A | 80 pm |
| +3 | 6 | N/A | 76 pm |
| +5 | 6 | N/A | 60 pm |
Compounds
Isotopes (2)
| Mass number | Atomic mass (u) | Natural abundance | Half-life | Decay mode | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 121 Stable | 120.903812 ± 0.000003 | 57.2100% ± 0.0500% | Stable | stable | |
| 123 Stable | 122.9042132 ± 0.0000023 | 42.7900% ± 0.0500% | Stable | stable |
Spectral Lines
| Wavelength (nm) | Intensity | Ion stage | Type | Transition | Accuracy | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 403.35367 nm | 200 | Sb I | emission | 5p3 2P* → 5p2.(3P).6s 4P | Measured | NIST | |
| 475.77494 nm | 20 | Sb I | emission | 5p2.(3P).6s 4P → 5p2.(3P<2>).7p (2,3/2)* | Measured | NIST | |
| 549.02252 nm | N/A | Sb I | emission | 5p2.(3P).6s 4P → 5p2.(3P<2>).7p (2,1/2)* | Measured | NIST | |
| 555.60108 nm | N/A | Sb I | emission | 5p2.(3P).6s 2P → 5p2.(1D<2>).6p (2,1/2)* | Measured | NIST | |
| 560.20647 nm | N/A | Sb I | emission | 5p2.(3P).6s 4P → 5p2.(3P<1>).7p (1,3/2)* | Measured | NIST | |
| 563.19352 nm | N/A | Sb I | emission | 5p2.(3P).6s 4P → 5p2.(3P<0>).7p (0,3/2)* | Measured | NIST | |
| 573.02392 nm | N/A | Sb I | emission | 5p2.(3P).6s 2P → 5p2.(3P<2>).7p (2,3/2)* | Measured | NIST | |
| 661.1381 nm | 20 | Sb I | emission | 5p2.(3P).6s 2P → 5p2.(1D<2>).6p (2,1/2)* | Measured | NIST |
Extended Properties
Covalent Radii (Extended)
Van der Waals Radii
Atomic & Metallic Radii
Numbering Scales
Electronegativity Scales
Polarizability & Dispersion
Miedema Parameters
Supply Risk & Economics
Phase Transitions & Allotropes
| Melting point | 903.78 K |
| Boiling point | 1860.15 K |
Oxidation State Categories
Advanced Reference Data
Screening Constants (11)
| n | Orbital | σ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | s | 1.0256 |
| 2 | p | 4.1274 |
| 2 | s | 13.4046 |
| 3 | d | 14.2002 |
| 3 | p | 17.8161 |
| 3 | s | 17.7909 |
| 4 | d | 32.0256 |
| 4 | p | 28.8188 |
| 4 | s | 27.4564 |
| 5 | p | 41.0055 |
Crystal Radii Detail (4)
| Charge | CN | Spin | rcrystal (pm) | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | IVPY | 90 | ||
| 3 | V | 94 | ||
| 3 | VI | 90 | Ahrens (1952) ionic radius, | |
| 5 | VI | 74 |
Isotope Decay Modes (61)
| Isotope | Mode | Intensity |
|---|---|---|
| 102 | p | — |
| 103 | p | — |
| 104 | B+ | — |
| 104 | B+p | 7% |
| 104 | p | 7% |
| 104 | A | — |
| 105 | B+ | 100% |
| 105 | p | 0.1% |
| 105 | B+p | — |
| 106 | B+ | 100% |
X‑ray Scattering Factors (508)
| Energy (eV) | f₁ | f₂ |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | — | 9.95091 |
| 10.1617 | — | 10.0681 |
| 10.3261 | — | 9.92927 |
| 10.4931 | — | 9.42377 |
| 10.6628 | — | 8.92685 |
| 10.8353 | — | 8.35287 |
| 11.0106 | — | 7.84004 |
| 11.1886 | — | 7.4678 |
| 11.3696 | — | 7.10503 |
| 11.5535 | — | 6.73907 |
Additional Data
Estimated Crustal Abundance
The estimated element abundance in the earth's crust.
2×10-1 milligrams per kilogram
References (1)
- [5] Antimony https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele051.html
Estimated Oceanic Abundance
The estimated element abundance in the earth's oceans.
2.4×10-4 milligrams per liter
References (1)
- [5] Antimony https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele051.html
Sources
Sources of this element.
Antimony is not abundant, but is found in over 100 mineral species. It is sometimes found natively, but more frequently it is found as the sulfide stibnite.
References (1)
- [6] Antimony https://periodic.lanl.gov/51.shtml
References
(9)
Data deposited in or computed by PubChem
The half-life and atomic mass data was provided by the Atomic Mass Data Center at the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Element data are cited from the Atomic weights of the elements (an IUPAC Technical Report). The IUPAC periodic table of elements can be found at https://iupac.org/what-we-do/periodic-table-of-elements/. Additional information can be found within IUPAC publication doi:10.1515/pac-2015-0703 Copyright © 2020 International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry.
The information are cited from Pure Appl. Chem. 2018; 90(12): 1833-2092, https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2015-0703.
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The periodic table at the LANL (Los Alamos National Laboratory) contains basic element information together with the history, source, properties, use, handling and more. The provenance data may be found from the link under the source name.
The periodic table contains NIST's critically-evaluated data on atomic properties of the elements. The provenance data that include data for atomic spectroscopy, X-ray and gamma ray, radiation dosimetry, nuclear physics, and condensed matter physics may be found from the link under the source name. Ref: https://www.nist.gov/pml/atomic-spectra-database
This section provides all form of data related to element Antimony.
The element property data was retrieved from publications.