What is antimony ore?
Antimony is chalcophile, occurring with sulfur and the heavy metals, lead, copper, and silver. Over a hundred minerals of antimony are found in nature. Stibnite (Sb2S3) is the predominant ore mineral of antimony. The most important use of antimony metal is as a hardener in lead for storage batteries.
Where can I mine antimony?
Antimony is mined in 15 countries, but mine production is concentrated very heavily in China (85 percent of the world total in 2000); most of the remainder is accounted for by South Africa (4 percent), Russia (4 percent), and Bolivia (2 percent).
How is antimony extracted from its ore?
Antimony can be selectively removed from refractory gold ore by sodium sulfide leaching. Antimony was recovered in the form of sodium pyroantimonate product by pressure oxidation. Sodium thiosulfate byproduct was prepared from the oxidized solution by evaporation and concentration.
What does antimony look like?
Antimony is a silvery-white, shiny element that looks like a metal. It has a scaly surface and is hard and brittle like a non-metal. It can also be prepared as a black powder with a shiny brilliance to it. The melting point of antimony is 630°C (1,170°F) and its boiling point is 1,635°C (2,980°F).
What rocks is antimony found in?
The only significant ore mineral of antimony, stibnite (Sb2S3), is widespread as an accessory mineral in gold-bearing quartz veins, particularly in veins that intersect the Silurian – Early Devonian Murrindindi Supergroup sedimentary rocks of the Melbourne Zone.
Where is antimony found in the United States?
Stibnite near Nome “It has long been known that stibnite, the sulfide of antimony and the principal source of that metal, is widely distributed in Alaska,” Alfred Brooks penned in a 1917 report, Antimony deposits of Alaska.
Is antimony rare or common?
Antimony is a rare element but can sometimes be found naturally. However, it’s mostly in the form of its sulfide stibnite.
How does antimony look like?
How common is antimony?
0.2 to 0.5 parts per million
The abundance of antimony in the Earth’s crust is estimated to be 0.2 to 0.5 parts per million, comparable to thallium at 0.5 parts per million and silver at 0.07 ppm. Even though this element is not abundant, it is found in more than 100 mineral species.