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 ti ...
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 ...
elements. The antimonide
ion 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 conductivity value falling between that of a conductor, such as copper, and an insulator, such as glass. Its resistivity falls as its temperature rises; metals behave in the opposite way ...
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 va ...
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 Sulfide mineral, sulfides and are grouped with them in both the Dana and Strunz classification, Strunz mineral classific ...
Anions
Antimonides
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