Stibnite

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Stibnite

Stibnite, sometimes called antimonite, is a sulfide

Sulfide

The term sulfide refers to several types of chemical compounds containing sulfur in its lowest oxidation number of −2.Formally, "sulfide" is the dianion, S2−, which exists in strongly alkaline aqueous solutions formed from H2S or alkali metal salts such as Li2S, Na2S, and K2...
mineral

Mineral

A mineral is a naturally occurring solid formed through Geology processes that has a characteristic chemical composition, a highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties....
with the formula

Chemical formula

A chemical formula is a way of expressing information about the atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound, and how the relationship between those atoms changes in chemical reactions....
Sb

Antimony

Antimony is a chemical element with the symbol Sb and atomic number 51. A metalloid, antimony has four allotropy forms. The stable form of antimony is a blue-white metalloid....
₂S

Sulfur

Sulfur or sulphur is the chemical element that has the atomic number 16. It is denoted with the symbol S. It is an abundant Valence non-metal....
₃. This soft grey material crystallizes in an orthorhombic space group. It is the most important source for the metalloid

Metalloid

is a term used in chemistry when classifying the chemical elements. On the basis of their general physical and chemical properties, nearly every element in the periodic table can be termed either a metal or a nonmetal....
antimony

Antimony

Antimony is a chemical element with the symbol Sb and atomic number 51. A metalloid, antimony has four allotropy forms. The stable form of antimony is a blue-white metalloid....
. The abbreviation for antimony, Sb, is taken from stibnite.

ub>2S₃ forms when antimony(III) compounds are treated with hydrogen sulfide

Hydrogen sulfide

Hydrogen sulfide is the chemical compound with the chemical formula Hydrogen2Sulfur. This colorless, toxic and flammable gas is partially responsible for the foul odor of egg and flatulence....
.

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Encyclopedia

Stibnite, sometimes called antimonite, is a sulfide

Sulfide

Mineral

Chemical formula

Antimony

Antimony is a chemical element with the symbol Sb and atomic number 51. A metalloid, antimony has four allotropy forms. The stable form of antimony is a blue-white metalloid....
₂S

Sulfur

Metalloid

Antimony

Formation, structure, reactivity

Sb₂S₃ forms when antimony(III) compounds are treated with hydrogen sulfide

Hydrogen sulfide

Hydrogen sulfide is the chemical compound with the chemical formula Hydrogen2Sulfur. This colorless, toxic and flammable gas is partially responsible for the foul odor of egg and flatulence....
. This reaction gives a black precipitate:

2 Sb³⁺ + 3 H

Hydrogen

Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the chemical symbol H. At standard temperature and pressure, hydrogen is a colorless, odorless, nonmetallic, tasteless, highly combustion and explosive Diatomic molecule gas with the molecular formula H2....
₂S ? Sb₂S₃ + 6 H⁺

This reaction is reversed by hydrochloric acid

Hydrochloric acid

Hydrochloric acid is the solution of hydrogen chloride in water. It is a highly corrosive, strong acid mineral acid and has major industrial uses....
.

Stibnite is attacked by potassium hydroxide solution and dissolves in solutions of polysulfide

Polysulfide

Polysulfides are a class of chemical compounds containing chains of sulfur atoms. In their simplest form, polysulfides are anions with the general formula Sn2- and the structure -SSn-2S-....
ions to give polysulfido complexes. Related reactions were once used in university courses on qualitative inorganic analysis

Qualitative inorganic analysis

Classical qualitative inorganic analysis is a method of analytical chemistry which seeks to find chemical element composition of inorganic compounds....
.

Stibnite has a structure similar to that of arsenic trisulfide, As

Arsenic

Arsenic is a well-known chemical element that has the symbol As and atomic number 33. Arsenic was first documented by Albertus Magnus in 1250....
₂S₃. The Sb(III) centers, which are pyramidal and three-coordinate, are linked via bent two-coordinate sulfide ions.

Uses

Stibnite has no significant uses, except as a precursor to antimony oxide, which is the most commonly marketed form of antimony. In ancient times, it was used as mascara

Mascara

Mascara is a Cosmetics used to darken, lighten or colour lashes, also it can be used to thicken, lengthen and define eyelashes. Mascara comes in three forms: liquid, cake, and cream....
called kohl

Kohl (cosmetics)

Kohl is a mixture of soot and other ingredients used predominantly by Middle Eastern, African and South Asian women, and to a lesser extent men, to darken the eyelids and as mascara for the eyelashes....
.

Antimony trisulfide finds use in pyrotechnic composition

Pyrotechnic composition

A pyrotechnic composition is a substance or mixture of substances designed to produce an effect by heat, light, sound, gas or smoke or a combination of these, as a result of non-detonative self-sustaining exothermic reaction chemical reactions....
s, namely in the glitter and fountain mixtures. Needle-like crystals, "Chinese Needle", are used in glitter compositions and white pyrotechnic star

Pyrotechnic star

Pyrotechnic stars are pellets or simply pieces of pyrotechnic composition which may contain metal powders, salts or other compounds that, when ignited, burn a certain colour or exude a spark effect....
s. The "Dark Pyro" version is used in flash powder

Flash powder

Flash powder is pyrotechnic composition, a mixture of oxidizer and metallic fuel which burns quickly and if confined will produce a loud report....
s to increase their sensitivity and sharpen their report. It is also a component of modern safety matches. It was formerly used in flash

Flash (photography)

A flash is a device used in photography that produces an instantaneous flash of Lighting light at a color temperature of about 5500 K to help illuminate a scene....
compositions, but its use was abandoned due to toxicity and sensitivity to static electricity

Static electricity

Static electricity refers to the buildup of electric charge on the surface of objects. The static charges remains on an object until they either bleed off to ground or are quickly neutralized by a discharge....
.

Occurrence

Small deposits of stibnite are common, but large deposits are rare. It occurs in Canada

Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
, Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
, Peru

Peru

Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
, China

China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
, Romania

Romania

Romania is a country located in Southeastern Europe Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian Mountains, bordering on the Black Sea....
, Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
, France

France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
, England

England

Algeria

Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country located in North Africa. It is the largest country of the Mediterranean sea, second largest in the Arab World, and the second largest on the African continent and the eleventh-largest country in the world in terms of land area....
, and Kalimantan

Kalimantan

In most languages in the world, the term Kalimantan refers to the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo, while for Indonesians, the name "Kalimantan" usually refers to the whole island of Borneo....
, Borneo

Borneo

Borneo is the List of islands by area and is located at the centre of Maritime Southeast Asia. Administratively, this island is divided between Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei....
. In the United States

United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
it is found in Arkansas

Arkansas

Arkansas is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States of the United States. Arkansas shares a border with six states, with its eastern border largely defined by the Mississippi River....
, Idaho

Idaho

The State of Idaho is a U.S. state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States of America. The state's largest city and Capital is Boise, Idaho....
, Nevada

Nevada

Nevada is a U.S. state located in the Western United States of the United States of America. The capital is Carson City and the largest city is Las Vegas, Nevada....
, California

California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
, and Alaska

Alaska

Alaska is the largest U.S. state of the United States by area; it is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait....
. Large iridescent stibnite crystals are found in Japan.

As of May 2007, the largest specimen on public display (1000 pounds) is at the American Museum of Natural History

American Museum of Natural History

The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side, Manhattan, New York, USA, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world....
.

Stibnite

Formation, structure, reactivity

Uses

Occurrence

See also