Antimony (Sb) – Periodic Table (Element Information & More)

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Antimony Element (Sb) Information

Appearance	Silvery gray metallic luster
State (at STP)	Solid
Position in Periodic table	Group: 15, Period: 5, Block: p
Category	Pnictogens
Atomic number or  Protons	51
Neutrons	71
Electrons	51
Symbol	Sb
Atomic mass	121.76 u
Electrons arrangement or  Bohr model	2, 8, 18, 18, 5
Electronic configuration	[Kr] 4d10 5s2 5p3
Atomic radius	206 picometers (van der Waals radius)
Valence electrons	5
1st Ionization energy	8.64 eV
Electronegativity	2.05 (Pauling scale)
Crystal structure	Rhombohedral
Melting point	903.7 K or 630.6 °C or 1167.1 °F
Boiling point	1908 K or 1635 °C or 2975 °F
Density	6.7 g/cm3
Main isotope	121Sb
CAS number	7440-36-0

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Antimony in Periodic table

Antimony element is in group 15 and period 5 of the Periodic table. Antimony is the p-block element and it belongs to pnictogens group.

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Why is Antimony in Group 15?

Do you know, how many electrons can be accommodated in the first shell, second shell, third shell, fourth shell, etc…?

Here is the table showing the capacity of orbits to hold electrons. 

Number of electrons in shells.

Thus, 

• 1st shell can hold 2 electrons.
• 2nd shell can hold 8 electrons.
• 3rd shell can hold 18 electrons.
• 4th shell can hold 32 electrons, and so on.

Now the atomic number of antimony (Sb) is 51.

Hence the electron arrangement in antimony is 2, 8, 18, 18, 5. And the electron configuration of antimony is 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 3d¹⁰ 4s² 4p⁶ 4d¹⁰ 5s² 5p³.

This electron arrangement and electron configuration indicates that the outermost orbit (i.e orbit number 5) of antimony atom has 5 electrons.

Hence, it lies in group 15.

Why is Antimony in Period 5?

Let me ask you a question.

How many shells does antimony have?

It’s 5. Right? 

You have already seen the bohr model of antimony atom in the above table.

From the Bohr model, it can be found that the number of orbits or shells in antimony is 5. Hence, as antimony has 5 orbits, it lies in period 5 of the Periodic table. 

Why is Antimony in p-block?

Before knowing this reason, first of all I want to ask you a simple question.

How can you determine the blocks-wise position of elements?

The simple answer: The elements will lie in the s, p, d or f block will completely depend upon the subshell in which the last electron will enter.

For example; the electron configuration of antimony is [Kr] 4d¹⁰ 5s² 5p³.

So the last electron of antimony enters the p-subshell or p-orbital. 

Hence, antimony is the p-block element.

5 Interesting facts about Antimony

Interesting facts about antimony element are mentioned below.

1. The name antimony was derived from the Greek words “anti” and “monos” which means a metal that is not found alone.
2. Antimony is very rarely found in its pure form, but it is mostly found from the mineral stibnite.
3. The abundance of antimony in the earth’s crust is estimated to be 0.2 to 0.5 part per million.
4. China is the leading producer and supplier of antimony in the world (more than 80%).
5. In ancient times, antimony was used as a reflecting surface in mirrors.

Properties of Antimony

The physical and chemical properties of antimony element are mentioned below.

Physical properties of Antimony

Physical properties of antimony are mentioned below.

• Antimony is solid at STP and has a silvery grey metallic lustre.
• Antimony is a poor conductor of heat and electricity at room temperature.
• Antimony is hard and brittle which can not be malleable.
• The atomic mass of antimony is 121.76 u and its density is 6.7 g/cm³.
• The melting point of antimony is 630.6 °C and its boiling point is 1635 °C.
• The crystal structure of antimony is Rhombohedral.
• Antimony has many isotopes, but out of them the most abundant isotope is ¹²¹Sb (around 57%).

Chemical properties of Antimony

Chemical properties of antimony are mentioned below.

• When antimony is kept open in air, it does not react easily. The black allotrope of antimony easily gets corroded when kept open in air.
• When antimony is reacted with acids, it does not easily dissolve into it.
• Antimony can be dissolved in oxidizing acids like sulfuric acid or nitric acid.
• When antimony is heated in air, it forms antimony trioxide.

Uses of Antimony

Uses of antimony are mentioned below.

• Antimony is a metalloid and hence it is used in semiconductor devices like diodes, infrared detectors, etc.
• The compounds of antimony are used in manufacturing of glass, paints, ceramics, etc.
• The alloy formed by mixing antimony and lead is used in manufacturing battery components, cable sheathing, etc.

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External resources:

1. Antimony – Wikipedia. (2009, October 16). Antimony – Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimony
2. Antimony – Element information, properties and uses | Periodic Table. (n.d.). Antimony – Element Information, Properties and Uses | Periodic Table. https://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/51/antimony
3. It’s Elemental – The Element Antimony. (n.d.). It’s Elemental – the Element Antimony. https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele051.html
4. P. (n.d.). Antimony | Sb (Element) – PubChem. Antimony | Sb (Element) – PubChem. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/element/Antimony
5. C&EN: IT’S ELEMENTAL: THE PERIODIC TABLE – ANTIMONY. (n.d.). C&EN: IT’S ELEMENTAL: THE PERIODIC TABLE – ANTIMONY. https://pubsapp.acs.org/cen/80th/antimony.html?