antimony (Sb)

Term: antimony (Sb)

Literally meaning: “not alone, against aloneness”

Origin: Anc Greek

αντί-/anti- (=prefix meaning opposed to, against, instead)

μόνος/monos (=alone)

Coined/History 

   Plini the Elder referred to male had female forms of antimony possibly meaning sulfide and metallic antimony respectively. In ancient times antimony was used in cosmetics for making black paint for eye brows.

   The symbol stibium derived from Greek word “στίμμι” and the abbreviation was used for first time by Jons Jacob Berzelius.  This substance was referred to   antimony sulphide (Sb2S3) which was known as “στίμμιs/timmi” or / “στίβι/stivi” as it is described by Greek botanist and physician  Dioskorides (circa 40-90 AD) (Materis medica 5, 99) and Roman Pliny the Elder (23-79) (Naturalis historia 33, 34).

   In 1604 Basilius Valentinus (1565-1624) wrote the monograph “Triumph-Wagen des Antimonij” . The word “antimony” is derived from medieval latin form “antimonium”.  The most popular etymology is based on the assessment that this metalloid is not found unalloyed (not alone).

Definition

Antimony is a toxic chemical element with atomic mass and an atomic number of 51.  It is a lustrous grey metalloid (resembles to metal), which is used mainly for paint and batteries production.