Today we present the chemical element number 51 of the Periodic Table, its symbol is the abbreviation Sb. We are talking about antimony.
The name derives from the Latin Stibium which means stick, because since ancient times sticks with black antimony powders (mixed with fats) were made for eye make-up, with ritual and hygienic functions.
It is a semimetal; it has the appearance of a metal, but it does not have the typical chemical and physical behaviors. In its elementary form it is a silvery-white solid with bluish reflections that has poor thermal and electrical conductivity and which sublimates at relatively low temperatures. Reacts with oxidizing acids and halogens. Antimony and its alloys expand upon cooling.
Antimony has always enjoyed a notable reputation in alchemy, where it has assumed the meaning of the wild and animal instincts to be controlled, symbolized by the wolf, and therefore was sometimes considered the primordial component, or "raw material", of the Great Work , which through various phases should have culminated with the production of the philosopher's stone.
Antimony is increasingly used in the semiconductor industry in the production of diodes, infrared sensors and devices based on the Hall effect.
Alloyed with lead, it considerably increases its hardness and mechanical resistance, so much so that the production of lead-antimony for the production of automotive batteries is the main consumption of this element. Among other applications are the productions of:
- low friction alloys
- alloys for the production of typefaces
- tracer bullets
- cable sheaths
- matches
- emetic drugs
- pipes (lead-free alloys, containing up to 5% antimony)
Antimony and many of its compounds are considered toxic. Clinically, antimony poisoning is very similar to arsenic poisoning. In small doses it causes headache and dizziness, in higher doses it causes violent and frequent bouts of vomiting and leads to death within a few days.
It is said that antimony was used as a remedy after a heavy drink: before going to bed a sip of wine was prepared in a cup of antimony, left to rest all night and drunk upon awakening, making everything less heavy.
The giveaway
We have arrived at the first element of the second season (see previous articles). We have always said that we want the restart soft and therefore at the moment we don't want to see people running.
The max supply of this element is 200 NFT, 90 of which are available for the giveaway, which will be assigned with a draw from all those who comment on this article with their WAX address by 16:00 CEST on August 28th.
We are checking the comments of the two Tin element giveaway articles, according to the rules described. We are taking a little longer than expected, but on Monday or Tuesday they should arrive in the wallets of the winners. The article for the new contest for the creation of two molecules based on the Tin element will therefore also be published.
The Periodic Table NFT project
The Periodic Table NFT project aims to raise awareness of chemical elements in a modern key, basing the approach on blockchain and Non Fungible Token.
Day after day it will be possible to know the single elements that make up the table, to collect curiosities about each of them and about the table in general.
We are working to be able to learn, in a playful way, also what happens by combining the various elements.
The whole project is based on the collection of NFTs that can be bought on the site https://wax.atomichub.io/market?collection_name=periodicelem&order=desc&sort=created&symbol=WAX or by participating in simple giveaways published on publish0x.
Elements released
- The first 30 elements
- #31 Gallium (max supply 200)
- #32 Germanium (max supply 149)
- #33 Arsenic (max supply 200)
- #34 Selenium (max supply 99)
- #35 Bromine (max supply 200)
- #36 Krypton (max supply 200)
- #37 Rubidium (max supply 249)
- #38 Strontium (max supply 200)
- #39 Yttrium (max supply 149)
- #40 Zirconium (max supply 99)
- #41 Niobium (max supply 200)
- #42 Molybdenum (max supply 200)
- #43 Technetium (max supply 200)
- #44 Ruthenium (max supply 299)
- #45 Rhodium (max supply 99)
- #46 Palladium (max supply 200)
- #47 Silver (max supply 200)
- #48 Cadmium (max supply 149)
- #49 Indium (max supply 200)
- #50 Tin (max supply 299)
- #51 Antimony (max supply 200)
Molecule released
- H2O - Water (max supply 37)
- NaCl - Salt (max supply 64)
- CaC2 - Calcium carbide (max supply 46)
- KMnO4 - Potassium permanganate (max supply 57)
- HCN - Hydrogen cyanide (max supply 59)
- CH2N2 - Diazomethane (max supply 46)
- LiCoO2 - Lithium cobalt oxide (max supply 53)
- LiBH4 - Lithium borohydride (max supply 51)
- PSYCO - Strychnine (max supply 62)
Celebrity released
- Lavoisier (max supply 149)
- Glauber (max supply 149)
- Marggraf (max supply 149)
- Curie (max supply 149)
Link to save
- Market on atomichub for the purchase of NFTs
- Blog on publish0x to be updated
- Telegram channel
- Discord: in the "all-projects" channel
- The Periodic Table of Elements WAX Book
(Photo by Kelsey Knight on Unsplash)
