Antimony
A valid IMA mineral species - grandfathered
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About Antimony
Formula:
Sb
Colour:
Tin-white
Lustre:
Metallic
Hardness:
3 - 3½
Specific Gravity:
6.61 - 6.71
Crystal System:
Trigonal
Member of:
Name:
From the medieval latin 'antimonium', originally applied to stibnite. The etymology is uncertain; the popular etymology, from ἀντίμοναχός anti-monachos or French antimoine, still has adherents; this would mean "monk-killer", and is explained by many early alchemists being monks, and antimony being poisonous. Another popular etymology is the hypothetical Greek word ἀντίμόνος antimonos, "against aloneness", explained as "not found as metal", or "not found unalloyed" [from Wikipedia].
Metallic antimony is an extremely brittle metal with a flaky, crystalline texture.
Unique Identifiers
Mindat ID:
262
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:262:4
GUID
(UUID V4):
(UUID V4):
2a8fe9ae-44fb-4353-9a9d-8806865f23ef
IMA Classification of Antimony
Approved, 'Grandfathered' (first described prior to 1959)
Classification of Antimony
1.CA.05
1 : ELEMENTS (Metals and intermetallic alloys; metalloids and nonmetals; carbides, silicides, nitrides, phosphides)
C : Metalloids and Nonmetals
A : Arsenic group elements
1 : ELEMENTS (Metals and intermetallic alloys; metalloids and nonmetals; carbides, silicides, nitrides, phosphides)
C : Metalloids and Nonmetals
A : Arsenic group elements
Dana 7th ed.:
1.3.1.4
1.3.1.2
1 : NATIVE ELEMENTS AND ALLOYS
3 : Semi-metals and non-metals
1 : NATIVE ELEMENTS AND ALLOYS
3 : Semi-metals and non-metals
1.41
1 : Elements and Alloys (including the arsenides, antimonides and bismuthides of Cu, Ag and Au)
1 : Elements and Alloys (including the arsenides, antimonides and bismuthides of Cu, Ag and Au)
Mineral Symbols
As of 2021 there are now IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols (abbreviations) for each mineral species, useful for tables and diagrams.
Please only use the official IMA–CNMNC symbol. Older variants are listed for historical use only.
Please only use the official IMA–CNMNC symbol. Older variants are listed for historical use only.
Symbol | Source | Reference |
---|---|---|
Sb | IMA–CNMNC | Warr, L.N. (2021). IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols. Mineralogical Magazine, 85(3), 291-320. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43 |
Sb | The Canadian Mineralogist (2019) | The Canadian Mineralogist (2019) The Canadian Mineralogist list of symbols for rock- and ore-forming minerals (December 30, 2019). download |
Physical Properties of Antimony
Metallic
Transparency:
Opaque
Colour:
Tin-white
Streak:
Grey
Hardness:
3 - 3½ on Mohs scale
Hardness:
VHN100=50 - 69 kg/mm2 - Vickers
Tenacity:
Brittle
Cleavage:
Perfect
Perfect and easy on {0001}, distinct on {1011}, imperfect on {1014} and indistinct on {1120}.
Perfect and easy on {0001}, distinct on {1011}, imperfect on {1014} and indistinct on {1120}.
Fracture:
Irregular/Uneven
Density:
6.61 - 6.71 g/cm3 (Measured) 6.697 g/cm3 (Calculated)
Optical Data of Antimony
Anisotropism:
Weak in air, lively in oil
Reflectivity:
Wavelength | R1 | R2 |
---|---|---|
400nm | 71.6% | 74.1% |
420nm | 72.3% | 75.1% |
440nm | 72.9% | 75.8% |
460nm | 73.6% | 76.6% |
480nm | 74.2% | 77.3% |
500nm | 74.6% | 77.8% |
520nm | 74.7% | 77.9% |
540nm | 74.5% | 78.0% |
560nm | 74.0% | 77.7% |
580nm | 73.3% | 77.1% |
600nm | 72.3% | 76.6% |
620nm | 71.4% | 76.0% |
640nm | 70.3% | 75.3% |
660nm | 69.2% | 74.8% |
680nm | 68.4% | 74.4% |
700nm | 67.7% | 74.2% |
Graph shows reflectance levels at different wavelengths (in nm). Top of box is 100%. Peak reflectance is 78.0%.
R1 shown in black, R2 shown in red
Pleochroism:
Weak
Chemistry of Antimony
Mindat Formula:
Sb
Elements listed:
Common Impurities:
As
Crystallography of Antimony
Crystal System:
Trigonal
Class (H-M):
3m (3 2/m) - Hexagonal Scalenohedral
Space Group:
R3m
Setting:
R3m
Cell Parameters:
a = 4.307 Å, c = 11.273 Å
Ratio:
a:c = 1 : 2.617
Unit Cell V:
181.10 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Z:
6
Morphology:
Pseudocubic crystals
Twinning:
Twinned on {0114} . Commonly forms fourlings, sixlings and polysynthetic twins.
Crystallographic forms of Antimony
Crystal Atlas:
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Data courtesy of the American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database. Click on an AMCSD ID to view structure
ID | Species | Reference | Link | Year | Locality | Pressure (GPa) | Temp (K) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0009736 | Antimony | Schiferl D, Cromer D T, Jamieson J C (1981) Structure determinations on Sb up to 85 x 10^2 MPa Acta Crystallographica B37 807-810 | 1981 | synthetic | 6.3 | 293 | |
0009737 | Antimony | Schiferl D, Cromer D T, Jamieson J C (1981) Structure determinations on Sb up to 85 x 10^2 MPa Acta Crystallographica B37 807-810 | 1981 | synthetic | 6.8 | 293 | |
0009738 | Antimony | Schiferl D, Cromer D T, Jamieson J C (1981) Structure determinations on Sb up to 85 x 10^2 MPa Acta Crystallographica B37 807-810 | 1981 | synthetic | 7.15 | 293 | |
0009739 | Antimony | Schiferl D, Cromer D T, Jamieson J C (1981) Structure determinations on Sb up to 85 x 10^2 MPa Acta Crystallographica B37 807-810 | 1981 | synthetic | 7.7 | 293 | |
0011099 | Antimony | Akselrud L G, Hanfland M, Schwarz U (2003) Refinement of the crystal structure of Sb-I, at 2.22 GPa Zeitschrift fur Kristallographie 218 414-414 | 2003 | synthetic | 2.22 | 295 | |
0011253 | Antimony | Wyckoff R W G (1963) Second edition. Interscience Publishers, New York, New York Crystal Structures 1 7-83 | 1963 | 0 | 293 | ||
0012836 | Antimony | Schiferl D, Barrett CS (1969) The crystal structure of arsenic at 4.2, 78 and 299 K Journal of Applied Crystallography 2 30-36 | 1969 | 0 | 293 | ||
0012837 | Antimony | Schiferl D, Barrett CS (1969) The crystal structure of arsenic at 4.2, 78 and 299 K Journal of Applied Crystallography 2 30-36 | 1969 | 0 | 293 | ||
0012838 | Antimony | Schiferl D, Barrett CS (1969) The crystal structure of arsenic at 4.2, 78 and 299 K Journal of Applied Crystallography 2 30-36 | 1969 | 0 | 293 | ||
0012942 | Antimony | Jette E R, Foote F (1935) Precision determination of lattice constants Journal of Chemical Physics 3 605-616 | 1935 | synthetic | 0 | 293 | |
0013080 | Antimony | Akhtar D, Vankar V D, Goel T C, Chopra K L (1979) Metastable structures of liquid-quenched and vapour-quenched antimony films Journal of Materials Science 14 988-994 | 1979 | synthetic | 0 | 293 | |
0013081 | Antimony | Akhtar D, Vankar V D, Goel T C, Chopra K L (1979) Metastable structures of liquid-quenched and vapour-quenched antimony films Journal of Materials Science 14 988-994 | 1979 | synthetic | 0 | 293 | |
0013082 | Antimony | Akhtar D, Vankar V D, Goel T C, Chopra K L (1979) Metastable structures of liquid-quenched and vapour-quenched antimony films Journal of Materials Science 14 988-994 | 1979 | synthetic | 0 | 293 | |
0013083 | Antimony | Akhtar D, Vankar V D, Goel T C, Chopra K L (1979) Metastable structures of liquid-quenched and vapour-quenched antimony films the tetragonal, FCC and SC structures Journal of Materials Science 14 988-994 | 1979 | synthetic | 0 | 293 | |
0013084 | Antimony | Akhtar D, Vankar V D, Goel T C, Chopra K L (1979) Metastable structures of liquid-quenched and vapour-quenched antimony films Journal of Materials Science 14 988-994 | 1979 | synthetic | 0 | 293 | |
0013085 | Antimony | Akhtar D, Vankar V D, Goel T C, Chopra K L (1979) Metastable structures of liquid-quenched and vapour-quenched antimony films Journal of Materials Science 14 988-994 | 1979 | synthetic | 0 | 293 | |
0015453 | Antimony | Aoki K, Fujiwara S, Kusakabe M (1983) New phase transition into the b.c.c structure in antimony at high pressure Solid State Communications 45 161-163 | 1983 | synthetic | 28 | 293 | |
0015596 | Antimony | Kabalkina S S, Mylov V P (1964) Phase transitions in antimony at high pressures Soviet Physics Doklady 8 917-918 | 1964 | synthetic | 5 | 293 |
CIF Raw Data - click here to close
X-Ray Powder Diffraction
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Radiation - Copper Kα
Data courtesy of RRUFF project at University of Arizona, used with permission.
Powder Diffraction Data:
d-spacing | Intensity |
---|---|
3.109 Å | (100) |
2.248 Å | (70) |
2.152 Å | (60) |
1.878 Å | (40) |
1.416 Å | (60) |
1.368 Å | (70) |
1.261 Å | (40) |
Geological Environment
Paragenetic Mode(s):
Paragenetic Mode | Earliest Age (Ga) |
---|---|
High-? alteration and/or metamorphism | |
33 : Minerals deposited by hydrothermal metal-rich fluids (see also [#12]) | |
Stage 10a: Neoproterozoic oxygenation/terrestrial biosphere | <0.6 |
50 : Coal and/or oil shale minerals | <0.36 |
Stage 10b: Anthropogenic minerals | <10 Ka |
54 : Coal and other mine fire minerals (see also #51 and #56) |
Geological Setting:
Hydrothermal veins
Type Occurrence of Antimony
Synonyms of Antimony
Other Language Names for Antimony
Afrikaans:Antimoon
Arabic:إثمد
Armenian:Ծարիր
Azeri:Stibium
Basque:Antimonio
Bosnian:Antimon
Bulgarian:Антимон
Catalan:Antimoni
Corsican:Antimoniu
Croatian:Antimon
Czech:Antimon
Danish:Antimon
Dutch:Antimoon
Esperanto:Antimono
Estonian:Antimon
Farsi/Persian:آنتیموان
Finnish:Antimoni
French:Antimoine
Friulian:Antimoni
Galician:Antimonio
Greek:Αντιμόνιο
Haitian:Antimwàn
Hebrew:אנטימון
Hindi:एन्टिमोनी
Hungarian:Antimon
Icelandic:Antimon
Ido:Antimonio
Indonesian:Antimon
Irish Gaelic:Antamón
Italian:Antimonio
Japanese:自然アンチモン
Javanese:Antimon
Kapampangan:Antimony
Korean:안티모니
Kurdish (Latin Script):Stîbyûm
Latin:Stibium
Latvian:Antimons
Lithuanian:Stibis
Lojban:antimoni
Low Saxon/Low German:Antimon
Luxembourgish:Antimon
Malayalam:ആന്റിമണി
Manx:Antimoan
Marathi:अँटिमोनी
Norwegian:Antimon
Norwegian (Nynorsk):Antimon
Occitan:Antimòni
Polish:Antymon
Portuguese:Antimónio
Quechua:Antimunyu
Romanian:Stibiu
Russian:Сурьма
Serbian:Антимон
Serbo-Croatian:Antimon
Sicilian:Antimoniu
Simplified Chinese:自然锑
Slovak:Antimón
Slovenian:Antimon
Spanish:Antimonio
Swedish:Antimon
Tajik (Cyrillic Script):Сурма
Tamil:ஆண்ட்டிமனி
Thai:พลวง
Traditional Chinese:自然銻
Turkish:Antimon
Ukrainian:Стибій
Urdu:کحل
Uzbek (Latin Script):Surma
Vietnamese:Antimon
Welsh:Antimoni
Varieties of Antimony
Bismuth-bearing Antimony | A bismuth-bearing variety of native antimony. See also Antimonian Bismuth. |
Relationship of Antimony to other Species
Member of:
Other Members of this group:
Forms a series with:
Common Associates
Associated Minerals Based on Photo Data:
53 photos of Antimony associated with Calcite | CaCO3 |
37 photos of Antimony associated with Valentinite | Sb2O3 |
33 photos of Antimony associated with Dyscrasite | Ag3Sb |
30 photos of Antimony associated with Löllingite | FeAs2 |
28 photos of Antimony associated with Stibnite | Sb2S3 |
24 photos of Antimony associated with Quartz | SiO2 |
22 photos of Antimony associated with Kermesite | Sb2S2O |
19 photos of Antimony associated with Stibarsen | AsSb |
15 photos of Antimony associated with Galena | PbS |
14 photos of Antimony associated with Senarmontite | Sb2O3 |
Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat Grouping
1.CA.05 | Arsenic | As |
1.CA.05 | Bismuth | Bi |
1.CA.05 | Stibarsen | AsSb |
1.CA.10 | Arsenolamprite | As |
1.CA.10 | Pararsenolamprite | (As,Sb) |
1.CA.15 | Paradocrasite | Sb2(Sb,As)2 |
1.CA.20 | Phosphorus | P4 |
Other Information
Health Risks:
No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.
Internet Links for Antimony
mindat.org URL:
https://www.mindat.org/min-262.html
Please feel free to link to this page.
Please feel free to link to this page.
Search Engines:
External Links:
Mineral Dealers:
References for Antimony
Reference List:
Klaproth, M. H. (1802) Chemische Untersuchung des Gediegen-Spießglanzes von Andreasberg. In Beiträge zur chemischen Kenntniss der Mineralkörper Vol. 3. Rottmann, Berlin. p.169-172.
Localities for Antimony
Locality List
- This locality has map coordinates listed.
- This locality has estimated coordinates.
ⓘ - Click for references and further information on this occurrence.
? - Indicates mineral may be doubtful at this locality.
- Good crystals or important locality for species.
- World class for species or very significant.
(TL) - Type Locality for a valid mineral species.
(FRL) - First Recorded Locality for everything else (eg varieties).
Struck out - Mineral was erroneously reported from this locality.
Faded * - Never found at this locality but inferred to have existed at some point in the past (e.g. from pseudomorphs).
All localities listed without proper references should be considered as questionable.
All localities listed without proper references should be considered as questionable.
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Voudouris, Panagiotis, Mavrogonatos, Constantinos, Rieck, Branko, Kolitsch, Uwe, Spry, Paul, Scheffer, Christophe, Tarantola, Alexandre, Vanderhaeghe, Olivier, Galanos, Emmanouil, Melfos, Vasilios, Zaimis, Stefanos, Soukis, Konstantinos, Photiades, Adonis (2018) The Gersdorffite-Bismuthinite-Native Gold Association and the Skarn-Porphyry Mineralization in the Kamariza Mining District, Lavrion, Greece. Minerals, 8 (11) 531 doi:10.3390/min8110531 Voudouris, Panagiotis, Mavrogonatos, Constantinos, Rieck, Branko, Kolitsch, Uwe, Spry, Paul, Scheffer, Christophe, Tarantola, Alexandre, Vanderhaeghe, Olivier, Galanos, Emmanouil, Melfos, Vasilios, Zaimis, Stefanos, Soukis, Konstantinos, Photiades, Adonis (2018) The Gersdorffite-Bismuthinite-Native Gold Association and the Skarn-Porphyry Mineralization in the Kamariza Mining District, Lavrion, Greece. Minerals, 8 (11) 531 doi:10.3390/min8110531 | |
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Quick NavTopAbout AntimonyUnique IdentifiersIMA Classification Classification Mineral SymbolsPhysical Properties Optical Data Chemistry Crystallography Crystallographic forms Crystal StructureX-Ray Powder DiffractionGeological EnvironmentType Occurrence SynonymsOther LanguagesVarietiesRelationshipsCommon AssociatesStrunz-MindatOther InformationInternet Links References Localities Locality List
Lake George Antimony mine, Lake George, Prince William Parish, York Co., New Brunswick, Canada