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 Sb³⁻. Reduction of antimony by alkali metals or by other methods leads to alkali metal antimonides of various types. Known antimonides include isolated Sb³⁻ ions (in Li₃Sb, Na₃Sb), dumbbells Sb₂⁴⁻ in Cs₄Sb₂, discrete antimony chains, for example, Sb₆⁸⁻ in SrSb₃, infinite spirals (Sb⁻)_n (in NaSb, RbSb), planar four-membered rings Sb₄²⁻, Sb₇³⁻ cages in Cs3Sb, and net shaped anions Sb₃²⁻ in BaSb₃. 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