Sodium thioantimoniate or sodium tetrathioantimonate(V) is an

inorganic compound In chemistry, an inorganic compound is typically a chemical compound that lacks carbon–hydrogen bonds, that is, a compound that is not an organic compound. The study of inorganic compounds is a subfield of chemistry known as '' inorganic chemist ...

with the

formula In science, a formula is a concise way of expressing information symbolically, as in a mathematical formula or a ''chemical formula''. The informal use of the term ''formula'' in science refers to the general construct of a relationship betwee ...

. The nonahydrate of this chemical, , is known as Schlippe's salt, named after Johann Karl Friedrich von Schlippe (1799–1867), These compounds are examples of

sulfosalt Sulfosalt minerals are sulfide minerals with the general formula , where *A represents a metal such as copper, lead, silver, iron, and rarely mercury, zinc, vanadium *B usually represents semi-metal such as arsenic, antimony, bismuth, and rarely ...

s. They were once of interest as species generated in

qualitative inorganic analysis Classical qualitative inorganic analysis is a method of analytical chemistry which seeks to find the elemental composition of inorganic compounds. It is mainly focused on detecting ions in an aqueous solution, therefore materials in other forms may ...

Structure

left, Anhydrous NaSbS₃ has a complicated structure featuring SbS₄^- tetrahedra interconnected by Na-S bonds. Color scheme: red = Sb, yellow = S, violet = Na. The nonahydrate consists of the tetrahedral tetrathioantimonate(V) anions and sodium cations , which are

hydrated Drinking is the act of ingesting water or other liquids into the body through the mouth, proboscis, or elsewhere. Humans drink by swallowing, completed by peristalsis in the esophagus. The physiological processes of drinking vary widely among o ...

. The Sb-S distance is 2.33 Å. Related salts are known for different cations including

ammonium The ammonium cation is a positively-charged polyatomic ion with the chemical formula or . It is formed by the protonation of ammonia (). Ammonium is also a general name for positively charged or protonated substituted amines and quaternary a ...

and

potassium Potassium is the chemical element with the symbol K (from Neo-Latin ''kalium'') and atomic number19. Potassium is a silvery-white metal that is soft enough to be cut with a knife with little force. Potassium metal reacts rapidly with atmosphe ...

. The anhydrous salt is a polymer with tetrahedral Na and Sb sites.

Preparation

Sodium tetrathioantimonate nonahydrate is prepared by the reaction of "

antimony trisulfide Antimony trisulfide (Sb2S3) is found in nature as the crystalline mineral stibnite and the amorphous red mineral (actually a mineraloid) metastibnite. It is manufactured for use in safety matches, military ammunition, explosives and fireworks. It ...

", elemental

sulfur Sulfur (or sulphur in British English) is a chemical element with the symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with a chemical formula ...

, and aqueous

sulfide Sulfide (British English also sulphide) is an inorganic anion of sulfur with the chemical formula S2− or a compound containing one or more S2− ions. Solutions of sulfide salts are corrosive. ''Sulfide'' also refers to chemical compounds lar ...

source. : The Na₂S can be generated in situ by the reaction of

sodium hydroxide Sodium hydroxide, also known as lye and caustic soda, is an inorganic compound with the formula NaOH. It is a white solid ionic compound consisting of sodium cations and hydroxide anions . Sodium hydroxide is a highly caustic base and alkali ...

and S (co-generating sodium sulfate): : Charcoal can also be used to reduce the sulfur. The required antimony trisulfide is prepared by treatment of Sb(III) compounds with sulfide sources: :

Reactions

The hydrate dissolves in water to give the tetrahedral ion. The salt gives "quinsulfide antimony," upon acidification: :

Notes

References

* {{sodium compounds Antimony(V) compounds Sulfides Sodium compounds Thiometallates