Antimony tribromide ( Sb Br₃) is a

chemical compound A chemical compound is a chemical substance composed of many identical molecules (or molecular entities) containing atoms from more than one chemical element held together by chemical bonds. A molecule consisting of atoms of only one element ...

containing antimony in its +3 oxidation state.

Production

Antimony tribromide may be made by the reaction of

antimony Antimony is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Sb () and atomic number 51. A lustrous grey metal or metalloid, it is found in nature mainly as the sulfide mineral stibnite (). Antimony compounds have been known since ancient t ...

with elemental

bromine Bromine is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Br and atomic number 35. It is a volatile red-brown liquid at room temperature that evaporates readily to form a similarly coloured vapour. Its properties are intermediate between th ...

, or by the reaction of

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 ...

with hydrobromic acid. Alternatively, it can be prepared by the action of bromine on a mixture of antimony sulfide and

at 250 °C.

Chemical properties

Antimony tribromide has two crystalline forms, both having

orthorhombic In crystallography, the orthorhombic crystal system is one of the 7 crystal systems. Orthorhombic Lattice (group), lattices result from stretching a cubic crystal system, cubic lattice along two of its orthogonal pairs by two different factors, res ...

symmetries. When a warm

carbon disulfide Carbon disulfide (also spelled as carbon disulphide) is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula and structure . It is also considered as the anhydride of thiocarbonic acid. It is a colorless, flammable, neurotoxic liquid that is used as ...

solution of SbBr₃ is rapidly cooled, it crystallizes into the needle-like α-SbBr₃, which then slowly converts to the more stable β form. Antimony tribromide hydrolyzes in water to form hydrobromic acid and antimony trioxide: : 2 SbBr₃ + 3 H₂O → Sb₂O₃ + 6 HBr

Uses

It can be added to

polymer A polymer () is a chemical substance, substance or material that consists of very large molecules, or macromolecules, that are constituted by many repeat unit, repeating subunits derived from one or more species of monomers. Due to their br ...

s such as

polyethylene Polyethylene or polythene (abbreviated PE; IUPAC name polyethene or poly(methylene)) is the most commonly produced plastic. It is a polymer, primarily used for packaging (plastic bags, plastic films, geomembranes and containers including bott ...

as a

fire retardant A fire retardant is a substance that is used to slow down or stop the spread of fire or reduce its intensity. This is commonly accomplished by chemical reactions that reduce the flammability of fuels or delay their combustion. Fire retardants ...

. It is also used in the production of other antimony compounds, in chemical analysis, as a

mordant A mordant or dye fixative is a substance used to set (i.e., bind) dyes on fabrics. It does this by forming a coordination complex with the dye, which then attaches to the fabric (or tissue). It may be used for dyeing fabrics or for intensifying ...

, and in dyeing. "Antimony tribromide" http://cameochemicals.noaa.gov/chemical/2501

References

{{bromides Bromides Metal halides Antimony(III) compounds