In
chemistry
Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...
, antimonite refers to a
salt of
antimony(III), such as NaSb(OH)
4 and NaSbO
2 (meta-antimonite), which can be prepared by reacting
alkali
In chemistry, an alkali (; from ar, القلوي, al-qaly, lit=ashes of the saltwort) is a basic, ionic salt of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal. An alkali can also be defined as a base that dissolves in water. A solution of a ...
with
antimony trioxide
Antimony(III) oxide is the inorganic compound with the formula Sb2O3. It is the most important commercial compound of antimony. It is found in nature as the minerals valentinite and senarmontite. Like most polymeric oxides, Sb2O3 dissolves in a ...
, Sb
2O
3.
[Egon Wiberg, Arnold Frederick Holleman (2001) ''Inorganic Chemistry'', Elsevier ] These are formally salts of antimonous acid,
Sb(OH)
3, whose existence in solution is dubious. Attempts to isolate it generally form Sb
2O
3·''x''H
2O, antimony(III) oxide hydrate, which slowly transforms into Sb
2O
3.
In
geology, the mineral
stibnite, Sb
2S
3, is sometimes called antimonite.
Antimonites can be compared to
antimonates, which contain antimony in the +5 oxidation state.
References
Antimony(III) compounds
Oxyanions
{{inorganic-compound-stub
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