Antimonides (sometimes called stibnides) are
compounds of
antimony
Antimony is a chemical element with the symbol Sb (from la, stibium) and atomic number 51. A lustrous gray metalloid, it is found in nature mainly as the sulfide mineral stibnite (Sb2S3). Antimony compounds have been known since ancient time ...
with more
electropositive
Electronegativity, symbolized as , is the tendency for an atom of a given chemical element to attract shared electrons (or electron density) when forming a chemical bond. An atom's electronegativity is affected by both its atomic number and the d ...
elements. The antimonide
ion
An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge.
The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by conven ...
is Sb
3−.
Reduction of antimony by alkali metals or by other methods leads to alkali metal antimonides of various types.
Known antimonides include isolated Sb
3− ions (in Li
3Sb, Na
3Sb), dumbbells Sb
24− in Cs
4Sb
2, discrete antimony chains, for example, Sb
68− in SrSb
3, infinite spirals (Sb
−)
n (in NaSb, RbSb), planar four-membered rings Sb
42−, Sb
73− cages in Cs3Sb, and net shaped anions Sb
32− in BaSb
3.
Some antimonides are
semiconductor
A semiconductor is a material which has an electrical resistivity and conductivity, electrical conductivity value falling between that of a electrical conductor, conductor, such as copper, and an insulator (electricity), insulator, such as glas ...
s, e.g. those of the
boron group
The boron group are the chemical elements in group 13 of the periodic table, comprising boron (B), aluminium (Al), gallium (Ga), indium (In), thallium (Tl), and nihonium (Nh). The elements in the boron group are characterized by having three vale ...
such as
indium antimonide
Indium antimonide (InSb) is a crystalline compound made from the elements indium (In) and antimony (Sb). It is a narrow- gap semiconductor material from the III- V group used in infrared detectors, including thermal imaging cameras, FLIR systems ...
. Many antimonides are flammable or decomposed by oxygen when heated since the antimonide ion is a reducing agent.
References
See also
*
Antimonide mineral
An antimonide mineral is a mineral that contains antimonide for its main anion. The antimonides are structurally similar to the sulfides and are grouped with them in both the Dana and Strunz mineral classification systems.
Examples include:
* Bre ...
Anions
Antimonides
{{inorganic-compound-stub